Record at MadJacks: 3-0 (+3.19 Units)
COLORADO ?113:
Colorado has been clicking on offense pretty much from the get go this season but especially of late. The last 3 games, the Rockies are averaging nearly 10 runs a game and I don?t see that coming to an end today.
Garrett Stephenson?s getting the start today and like most pitchers that come to Coors, you can more than likely expect him to struggle in this one. Stephenson?s only made one career start at Coors, but did get lit up pretty good for 5 earned runs in 5 innings, even though he didn?t get a decision in that one. More importantly, is the fact that he made 4 other starts in his career vs the Rockies and the results weren?t much better. Overall, he is just 0-2 with a whopping 8.65 ERA in 5 career starts vs them allowing 47 hits and walks combined in just 26 total innings.
Stephenson does have another weakness in his numbers. That weakness is the fact that he struggles more vs left-handed batters than righties. He has allowed lefty batters to hit 65 points higher than righties over his career. This could be a bit on the beneficial side to him as the Rockies have a pretty much a righty-dominated lineup, however, the 2 biggest bats in the lineup just happen to be lefties?that being Todd Helton and Larry Walker who have simply owned him. Those 2 are hitting a combined .458 lifetime vs him along with a .900 Slugging % for Helton and a .714 slugging % for Walker.
Shawn Chacon gets the start for the Rockies and for those that don?t remember the piece I wrote about him in his first start, I?ll bring it up again. Chacon, for the first time this past offseason, started taking his job as a pitcher a little more seriously. He got demoted last August and when he thought he would get a late season call up, it didn?t happen. Chacon worked very hard this off-season and is continuing to work hard. In his first start, he pitched brilliantly, allowing just 2 hits in 7 innings and struck out 8 while walking none. That first start was what preceded by an awesome spring training in which he went 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA and also had a 3.5 to 1 strikeout/walk ratio.
One of the big problems Chacon had was the large amount of home runs that he use to allow. This number came way down the 2nd half of last season and he just keeps improving at cutting this tendency down. This spring, he allowed zero homers the entire spring and he followed it by only allowing a solo homer in his first game, which was one of only 2 total hits he allowed.
Chacon likes to work ahead in the count and when he does that effectively, his nasty curve and changeup are brutal on hitters. One reason for the change in the present day Chacon and his past is like I said earlier he?s taking pitching much more seriously. Lately he?s improved bigtime with his balance and mechanics by doubling up on bullpen sessions between starts. Because of this, there is almost NO difference in arm slot on any of his pitches.
Also, Andy Fletcher will be the home ump in this one and although Stephenson doesn?t have any experience with him, Chacon has had one start during his career when Fletcher was the home ump and he seemed to match up pretty well in that game. He allowed 2 runs in 8 innings of work, but more importantly he gave up zero homers in that game which shows he?s able to get ahead in the count with this guy back there. That might not make any sense to some, but the way I look at it, there are ?mistake? homerun pitches and there are ?grooved? homerun pitches. The grooved ones are probably the most hit ones, and those are the result of being behind in the count and having to throw a strike.
Bottom line in this one, I expect Colorado to keep piling up the runs. At least putting up enough to win this one and take 2 of 3 in the series. Do I expect Chacon to pitch as well as he did in his first start? Probably not, but I think the guy is refocused and confident and it would not surprise me at all to see another well pitched game out of him at the worst pitchers park in the majors. Also helps since St. Louis has never faced him before. I like my chances here. Give me the Rockies!
Good luck :thumb:
-ndnfan
COLORADO ?113:
Colorado has been clicking on offense pretty much from the get go this season but especially of late. The last 3 games, the Rockies are averaging nearly 10 runs a game and I don?t see that coming to an end today.
Garrett Stephenson?s getting the start today and like most pitchers that come to Coors, you can more than likely expect him to struggle in this one. Stephenson?s only made one career start at Coors, but did get lit up pretty good for 5 earned runs in 5 innings, even though he didn?t get a decision in that one. More importantly, is the fact that he made 4 other starts in his career vs the Rockies and the results weren?t much better. Overall, he is just 0-2 with a whopping 8.65 ERA in 5 career starts vs them allowing 47 hits and walks combined in just 26 total innings.
Stephenson does have another weakness in his numbers. That weakness is the fact that he struggles more vs left-handed batters than righties. He has allowed lefty batters to hit 65 points higher than righties over his career. This could be a bit on the beneficial side to him as the Rockies have a pretty much a righty-dominated lineup, however, the 2 biggest bats in the lineup just happen to be lefties?that being Todd Helton and Larry Walker who have simply owned him. Those 2 are hitting a combined .458 lifetime vs him along with a .900 Slugging % for Helton and a .714 slugging % for Walker.
Shawn Chacon gets the start for the Rockies and for those that don?t remember the piece I wrote about him in his first start, I?ll bring it up again. Chacon, for the first time this past offseason, started taking his job as a pitcher a little more seriously. He got demoted last August and when he thought he would get a late season call up, it didn?t happen. Chacon worked very hard this off-season and is continuing to work hard. In his first start, he pitched brilliantly, allowing just 2 hits in 7 innings and struck out 8 while walking none. That first start was what preceded by an awesome spring training in which he went 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA and also had a 3.5 to 1 strikeout/walk ratio.
One of the big problems Chacon had was the large amount of home runs that he use to allow. This number came way down the 2nd half of last season and he just keeps improving at cutting this tendency down. This spring, he allowed zero homers the entire spring and he followed it by only allowing a solo homer in his first game, which was one of only 2 total hits he allowed.
Chacon likes to work ahead in the count and when he does that effectively, his nasty curve and changeup are brutal on hitters. One reason for the change in the present day Chacon and his past is like I said earlier he?s taking pitching much more seriously. Lately he?s improved bigtime with his balance and mechanics by doubling up on bullpen sessions between starts. Because of this, there is almost NO difference in arm slot on any of his pitches.
Also, Andy Fletcher will be the home ump in this one and although Stephenson doesn?t have any experience with him, Chacon has had one start during his career when Fletcher was the home ump and he seemed to match up pretty well in that game. He allowed 2 runs in 8 innings of work, but more importantly he gave up zero homers in that game which shows he?s able to get ahead in the count with this guy back there. That might not make any sense to some, but the way I look at it, there are ?mistake? homerun pitches and there are ?grooved? homerun pitches. The grooved ones are probably the most hit ones, and those are the result of being behind in the count and having to throw a strike.
Bottom line in this one, I expect Colorado to keep piling up the runs. At least putting up enough to win this one and take 2 of 3 in the series. Do I expect Chacon to pitch as well as he did in his first start? Probably not, but I think the guy is refocused and confident and it would not surprise me at all to see another well pitched game out of him at the worst pitchers park in the majors. Also helps since St. Louis has never faced him before. I like my chances here. Give me the Rockies!
Good luck :thumb:
-ndnfan
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