Rockies at Reds
Rookie Josh VanMeter is making the most of his opportunity this weekend with the Cincinnati Reds, who take on the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game set. The 24-year-old rookie is 8-for-11 with three home runs and four RBIs over his last three games after going deep in a 2-for-3 effort en route to a 3-1 win over the Rockies on Saturday.
Four pitchers combined on a five-hitter for the Reds, who are looking to record their second straight series win after losing four sets in a row. Cincinnati will get a boost Sunday in the return of Alex Wood as he opposes Colorado rookie Peter Lambert. The 28-year-old Wood, who was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers in December along with Yasiel Puig and two others, will finally make his debut with the Reds after enduring months of back issues. The Rockies struggled at the plate in Saturday's loss after recording 20 runs on 25 hits over their last two contests.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Peter Lambert (2-2, 5.93 ERA) vs. LH Alex Wood (2018: 9-7, 3.68)
The Rockies have lost each of Lambert's last six starts and he is 0-2 in that span, including a loss at Washington on Tuesday. The Nationals tagged the 22-year-old for three runs in 5 1/3 innings, although he did strike out eight batters while walking only one. He owns a 3.63 ERA in three road starts and will be seeing the Reds for the first time.
Wood won 25 games over the last two years with the Dodgers, including an All-Star campaign in 2017 in which he went 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA. He was 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in four starts in the minors prior to his return. Charlie Blackmon is 9-for-18 with five RBIs against Wood, who has a 6.57 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) versus the Rockies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Reds 3B Eugenio Suarez has four home runs over his last five games.
2. Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado has gone a season-high 14 straight games without recording multiple hits.
3. Colorado is 4-14 in Saturday games and 8-9 on Sundays.