Behind the torrid hitting of Troy Tulowitzki, the Colorado Rockies are now one game back for the NL West lead and 2.5 games behind Atlanta for the Wild Card lead. With a victory today over the Dodgers, the Rockies will have earned a sweep of 'Dem Bums and possibly more. If both San Diego and San Francisco lose to the Cardinals and the Brewers, respectively, the Rockies will be tied with the Padres for first place in the West. A Padres loss and a Giants victory would give the latter a half-game lead over the Padres and the Rockies.
Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .371/.421/1.057 with 14 homers and 33 RBI this month. If there was ever any doubts over whose team this was, there shouldn't be anymore. This is Troy Tulowitzki's Colorado Rockies.
Jason Hammel takes the mound for the Rockies, looking to rebound after a loss to San Diego on Tuesday, Sept. 14. He struggled through four innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits. He did beat the Dodgers back on Aug. 29 at Coors Field when he allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings and struck out seven.
Clayton Kershaw threw a complete game shutout against the Giants on Tuesday, Sept. 14 to go 12-10 on the season. He limited the Giants to four hits, and he struck out four batters. Kershaw last faced the Rockies on Aug. 27 when he picked up a no-decision in a start against Ubaldo Jimenez. He allowed a run on a solo homer in six innings before leaving the game. He was actually on hook for the loss, but a five-run eighth inning turned things in favor of the Dodgers.