Rockies at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals fell out of first place in the National League Central but have a chance to climb back on top when the Colorado Rockies come to town for a four-game series that begins on Thursday. St. Louis had its six-game home winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday that was shortened to 7 1/2 innings because of rain.
The Cardinals trail the Chicago Cubs by one-half game but enjoy a 1 1/2-game lead over Philadelphia and the New York Mets for the final postseason berth while sitting 1 1/2 behind top wild card Washington. Colorado on Wednesday salvaged the finale of its three-game series at Arizona with a 7-2 victory, improving to 6-4 in its last 10 contests, but were dealt a blow before the game when right-hander Jon Gray (11-8, 3.84 ERA) was placed on the 60-day injured list with a fractured left foot. The Rockies' German Marquez has been far more effective on the road this season and tries to keep that trend going Thursday as he opposes Miles Mikolas, who has struggled in his last two starts. St. Louis, which visits Colorado next month, has won nine straight season series versus the Rockies and 12 of the last 13.
TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (12-5, 4.71 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Miles Mikolas (7-13, 4.30)
Marquez allowed two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts in five innings of an 11-4 victory over Miami on Saturday. The 24-year-old Venezuelan, who boasts a 3.52 road ERA compared to a 6.26 mark at home, is 4-0 with a 3.32 ERA in his last six starts with 43 strikeouts against five walks during that span. Paul Goldschmidt is 10-for-26 with four home runs, eight RBIs and four walks from his days in Arizona versus Marquez, who is 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.
Mikolas has yielded 11 runs - 10 earned - and 14 hits in 10 innings over his last two starts after a 6-1 loss at Cincinnati on Saturday. The 30-year-old Floridian, though, set a club record of 40 straight games with fewer than three walks. Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon both have homered against Mikolas, who has posted a 5.40 ERA without recording a decision in four career games (two starts) versus the Rockies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blackmon is batting .405 with three home runs, seven RBIs and 10 runs during his 10-game hitting streak, raising his batting average to .330 - .413 at home and .261 on the road.
2. St. Louis 3B Matt Carpenter (.212, 11 home runs, 33 RBIs in 97 games) went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Wednesday as his season-long struggles continue. Carpenter's average in 138 at-bats since June 1 has varied only 15 points, with a high of .227.
3. Colorado OF Raimel Tapia is batting a team-leading .348 since the All-Star break.