The Milwaukee Brewers play host to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night from American Family Field in the second game of their weekend series. Friday night's opener saw the Brewers come away with the one-run win in dramatic fashion, as they look to secure the series win on Saturday. This weekend marks the first set of games between the two this season, though last year they played seven times, with the Brewers taking five of those, as they carry quite a bit of momentum into this one.
There weren't many hotter teams heading into the All-Star break than the Rockies, though Friday's loss and a lengthy break over the last week have seen to maybe slow that progress. They've still gone 6-4 over their last ten games but remain 20 games behind the Dodgers atop the NL West standings. Adding in a 15-28 record away from home and it appears more and more difficult to know what to expect out of this group for Saturday night. Not only are they coming off a loss but they have struggled quite a bit against the Brewers over the last few seasons, with their confidence appearing to be shaken in this one.
The break over the last week did at least allow this roup to get healthy. With no position players appearing on the injury report, it'll be nice for them to have their full complement of guys available. They do continue to be without two bullpen arms, though it shouldn't impact them much on Satur day night.
A two run lead, Chewie Blackmon has given us! ?? pic.twitter.com/5T2vLHquVz
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 16, 2022
According to MLB.com, the Rockies will lean on Jose Urena to take the mound on Saturday night. The righty comes in with a 1-1 record and 2.05 ERA but has only appeared in a handful of games this season. He has been strong since getting acquired by Colorado and in his last three starts, he's only allowed three combined runs, going at least six innings in each start. He could be actually what Colorado needs in this one to stay within striking distance.
Despite the poor record, Colorado does have one of the best offenses in baseball, which continues to give them a shot on a nightly basis. They rank second in batting average and are top ten in most other offensive categories. The only struggle has come in the home run department but with all their other success, it hasn't seemed to cost them yet. Jose Iglesias (.300 average) has come on strong, while C.J. Cron (21 HRs, 69 RBI) is having a monster season in the middle of the lineup. The one to keep an eye on though is Charlie Blackmon, as when he goes, this team tends to find success.