The Pirates are set to host the Rockies at PNC Park as Colorado arrives with another difficult stretch hanging over it. The Rockies entered their weekend series with the Phillies at 15-23 and had lost seven of their previous 10 games.
That record fits the shape of their season so far. Colorado finished 43-119 last year, the worst mark in MLB, and the club has again spent much of this season searching for consistent offense and pitching at the same time.
There are individual numbers worth watching. Outfielder Mickey Moniak was hitting.318 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs, while first baseman TJ Rumfield was hitting.275 with a team-high 38 hits. Chase Dollander had gone 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 42 strikeouts, giving Colorado at least one arm that has been able to keep it in games.
Warren Schaeffer, a Greensburg Central Catholic grad, is part of the local connection as the Rockies prepare for the trip. The setting matters because the Pirates will get Colorado at a time when the Rockies are still trying to turn scattered production into something steadier, and the matchup comes after a weekend series in which the Phillies had won eight of their past 10 games and were 17-21 entering play against Colorado.
Philadelphia’s surge offered a sharp contrast. Bryce Harper was hitting.275 with 9 home runs and 23 RBIs, Brandon Marsh was at.333 with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs, Kyle Schwarber had 12 home runs and 21 RBIs despite a.216 average, and Christopher Sanchez was 3-2 with a 2.42 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, a.266 batting average against and 60 strikeouts through eight starts.
The next step is simple and unforgiving: the Rockies have to carry whatever they found against Philadelphia into a tougher road test at PNC Park. If they do not, the numbers already tell the story for them.
