The Colorado Rockies entered Friday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies without allowing a single earned run over 32 straight innings. Starter Jeff Francis pitched 5.2 shutout innings to extend that streak to a franchise best 38 straight innings without allowing an earned run, but the bullpen allowed the Phillies back into the game, eventually falling in walk-off fashion, 3-2, and wasting Francis' excellent start.
Tyler Chatwood (404,5.53) gets the chance to start a new streak for Colorado, as he takes the mound for the first time in his career versus Philadelphia. Chatwood has been mixing excellent start with disastrous ones over the past month, with his previous outing in Atlanta ranking among his worst. Pitching just three innings, Chatwood walked five batters in that span, yet allowing only three hits.
His counterpart for Philadelphia is Cole Hamels (14-6, 3.04), one of the premier left-handed pitchers in the majors. Hamels has been dominant against Colorado for his career, and 2012 is no exception. In two starts against the Rockies this season, Hamels has pitched through the eighth inning in both of them, allowing a total of just three earned runs and striking out 14 Rockies hitters.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m, MT. The game will be available on ROOT and 850 KOA.
For more coverage, visit our Rockies blog Purple Row and our Phillies blog The Good Phight. For coverage from around the league, visit Baseball Nation.