Rockies at Cardinals
Marcell Ozuna is displaying the power that has been missing most of the season and aims to homer for a fourth straight game when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday for the second contest of their four-game series. Ozuna hit his first career walk-off blast in the 10th inning of the opener as the Cardinals posted a 5-4 victory.
Ozuna has gone deep just 13 times this season after belting a career-best 37 shots for Miami last year. The 27-year-old has recorded just 24 extra-base hits to go with a lackluster .396 slugging percentage after registering 69 and .548, respectively, in 2017. St. Louis, which has won four of its last six games, overcame a 4-0 deficit as the Rockies lost for only the sixth time in 25 contests. National League home-run leader Nolan Arenado (28) hit his fifth career grand slam for the Colorado, giving him five homers over his last nine games.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jon Gray (8-7, 5.16 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Jack Flaherty (4-5, 3.28)
Gray has returned from a brief demotion to Triple-A Albuquerque to produce back-to-back solid starts, giving up two runs and six hits over 14 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old defeated Seattle in the first outing and then allowed just two runs and one hit over seven frames in a no-decision against Houston in his last turn. Gray is 0-1 with an 11.88 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals and has struggled with Ozuna (4-for-7) and Matt Carpenter (3-for-6, three RBIs).
Flaherty registered eight strikeouts over five innings in a loss to Cincinnati in his last turn as he gave up three runs and four hits. The 22-year-old has worked five or fewer frames in four straight turns and eight of his last 11. Flaherty has struck out 104 batters in 85 innings and is holding opposing batters to a .209 average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Carpenter went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the series opener and is batting .333 with 10 homers and 19 RBIs this month.
2. Colorado All-Star SS Trevor Story was limited to pinch-hitting duties in the opener but will be back in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
3. St. Louis placed RHP Luke Gregerson (shoulder) on the 10-day disabled list, optioned LHP Tyler Webb to Triple-A Memphis, added LHP Chasen Shreve - who was acquired from New York Yankees - to the roster and activated RHP Carlos Martinez (oblique) from the DL, but the latter left Monday's start after 4 2/3 innings due to shoulder soreness.