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Watch Live: Diamondbacks and Rockies collide in Free Game of the Day
The calendar has turned to September which means our main focus has turned toward the contenders in MLB. With that in mind though, we shouldn’t completely discount those teams on the outside looking in. Teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies for example. They aren’t going to the playoffs this season, but they could have an impact on the standings as they’ll see a lot of the Dodgers and Giants down the stretch.
Beyond that, teams like the Diamondbacks and Rockies are populated with talented players that are worth watching day-in and day-out.
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Here, we’ll use Paul Goldschmidt as an example. We all know the Arizona first baseman has put together a couple MVP quality seasons during his six-year career. What you might not have known though is the extent to which he’s tormented the Rockies.
With a double and walk in Saturday’s 9-4 win, Goldschmidt has now reached base in 50 straight games against Colorado. That’s the longest current streak by a player against any one team in MLB. It’s also the longest streak ever against Colorado. In 82 games overall, he’s hitting .325 against them with 14 home runs. The only team he’s crushed more is the Dodgers. He’s hitting .325 with 24 homers against them.
Goldschmidt’s streak gives us one good reason to be interested in Sunday’s series finale against Colorado, which will be featured as the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 4:10 p.m. ET.
If that’s not enough though, we do have three other reasons why Sunday’s game is worth checking out.
Jon Gray’s development: The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander is leading a group of young pitchers the Rockies hope will develop into their best starting rotation ever. Gray was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft and has shown great potential. Through 24 starts this season, Gray has posted a 4.41 ERA with a 9.7 K/9. His home ERA (4.66) is a half-run higher than on the road (4.18), which indicates consistency.
Gray brings a fearless approach every time, which is essential to succeeding in that environment. Efficiency is where he might need to improve, but as long as he believes in his stuff the Rockies could have a true ace for the first time since Ubaldo Jimenez.
A.J. Pollock is healthy: Arizona’s season went off the rails in a hurry. In fact, it all started the final weekend of spring training when Pollock broke his elbow in a freak play at home plate. As a result, Arizona was left without its spark plug. The 28-year-old outfielder did it all in 2015, hitting .315/.367/.498 with 20 home runs, 39 doubles and 39 steals. Pollock also rated as one of baseball’s top defensive outfielders, which helped earn him his first All-Star selection. In seven games this season, he’s hitting .321 with one homer and four steals.
It’s Coors Field: You can’t always count on good baseball in Denver, but you can always bet on crazy baseball. With two high-flying offenses, one can safely assume runs will be scored in bunches. Just look at the Rockies 14-7 win on Friday. Colorado produced innings of six runs and seven runs respectively.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
