Colorado Rockies pitcher Christian Friedrich has turned in two strong starts to mark his major league career, but both those times came on the road. On Saturday, Friedrich (1-0, 1.38 ERA) will make a home start at Coors Field against the Seattle Mariners. Even if Friedrich can pitch similar to either start (6IP/7K and 7IP/10K), the Rockies' bats desperately need to show up.
The Rockies' offense went absent on Friday night when Kevin Millwood pitched a two-hitter against his 2011 team. It took until the sixth inning and two outs on the board for the Rockies to get rid of that zero in the hit column. It was the second complete game shutout of the season against the Rockies, previously happening on Opening Day at Coors Field (Barry Zito's threw the complete game shutout that day).
Jason Vargas (4-3, 3.28 ERA) opposes Friedrich on the mound. In all nine of his starts, Vargas has pitched into the sixth inning, but his last start has been his worst of the season. He allowed five runs over six innings, including two home runs allowed. He only received one run of offensive support in the 6-1 loss.
Game time: 2:10 p.m. MT, Saturday, May 19, 2012
Location: Coors Field, Denver, Colo.
TV/Radio: ROOT Sports/KOA 850
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