Colorado’s offense can be a bit merciless when it gets going and that’s exactly what happened over the weekend, as the Rockies blasted the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff for 20 runs in consecutive wins to end the three-game series at home. The Rockies closed out the series with a 13-3 win Sunday.
That spells trouble for St. Louis starter Mike Leake, who’s been on a downward spiral of late. The Rockies have a collective batting average of .333 against Leake. That includes Mark Reynolds, who is 6-for-17 against Leake. Ian Desmond, meanwhile, is 9-for-26 with a couple of doubles versus the Cards’ right-hander.
Antonio Senzatela didn’t look sharp in his last start, allowing three earned runs on four hits with three walks in five innings of a 9-7 home win over the San Diego Padres on Jul. 18. Senzatela is 10-3 this season despite a 4.67 ERA, which can be largely attributed to the Rockies supplying him with a stout 8.77 runs per nine innings—one of the most for a starter in the majors.
As mentioned earlier, Leake has been struggling over his past few gigs, going 0-2 with a 7.59 ERA in his last three starts. He was knocked around senseless by the New York Mets on Jul. 19 with Leake giving up four earned runs on 10 hits before getting pulled out of the game in a 7-3 road loss.
Leake will try to regain his footing tonight at Busch Stadium, where he’s 2-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts this year. Facing the loaded bats of the Rockies doesn’t seem promising though so Leake is hoping the Cards’ offense will be able to take advantage of a seemingly shaky Senzatela.
Matt Carpenter is going to be a test for Colorado, as the first baseman is 7-for-23 with three doubles in his last seven outings. Outfielder Tommy Pham, meanwhile, is 13-for-37 with a pair of homers since the All-Star break.
