Rockies at Cubs
Javier Baez's recent struggles at the plate unsurprisingly have contributed to the Chicago Cubs' recent fall from atop the National League Central. The 2018 All-Star may have signaled he is ready to return to form with his last performance, however, and he'll look to build upon his best offensive performance in at least a month when the Cubs open a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.
Chicago entered Monday's makeup game against the Los Angeles Angels having lost eight of 10 - a stretch during which Baez was batting .167 before breaking out of his slump with three RBIs, including a run-scoring double and a solo homer, in an 8-1 victory. Willson Contreras added a solo blast while Jason Heyward delivered a two-run double for the Cubs, who scored two more runs in the opener of their seven-game homestand than they did while being swept in St. Louis over the weekend. The Rockies are riding an eight-game winning streak and improved to 11-2 in their last 13 contests following a 5-1 triumph over Toronto on Sunday that completed a three-game sweep and a 9-1 homestand. Nolan Arenado is batting .481 with five homers and 17 RBIs during his 13-game hitting streak and wore out the Cubs last season, hitting .462 with five blasts and 11 RBIs in six contests.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), NBCS Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Jeff Hoffman (1-1, 7.20 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (5-4, 3.09)
Hoffman defeated Arizona on Wednesday for his first major-league victory since July 16, 2017, ending a five-game losing streak as he allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings. The East Carolina product has recorded a 1-1 record and 7.99 ERA in nine appearances (four starts) over the last two seasons. Kris Bryant is 3-for-5 with two homers against Hoffman, who gave up one run over 6 1/3 innings en route to a victory in his only career start at Wrigley Field on June 10, 2017.
Hendricks polished off a sterling month of May with Wednesday's victory at Houston, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while registering seven strikeouts in eight innings. The 29-year-old went 4-0 with a 1.81 ERA in six turns last month, working at least eight frames five times while holding the opposition to fewer than two runs on four occasions. Arenado (6-for-22) and David Dahl (3-for-6) are among three Rockies who have homered twice against Hendricks, who is 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA in eight career starts versus Colorado.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Rockies haven't posted a nine-game winning streak since recording 10 victories in a row from Sept. 3-12, 2010.
2. Contreras went 2-for-4 on Monday after going 0-for-18 with 11 strikeouts during Chicago's 1-5 road trip.
3. Despite being in the midst of a career-high 12-game hitting streak, Colorado OF Raimel Tapia has seen his batting average drop from .292 to .277.