Series Preview: Colorado Rockies (1-3) at Chicago Cubs (1-2)

In Series Previews by berselius114 Comments

The Rockies were not a team that prognosticators had particularly high hopes for, but the Rockies opening series managed to look skyward to that already low bar. On Thursday, the Dbacks batted around twice vs Opening Day Starter Kyle Freeland, scoring 14 runs in a single inning. The Cubs are surely hoping to get their whacks in between series against the Rangers and Dodgers, though it would certainly be Cubs-like to play down to the level of the competition. Let’s hope Craig Counsell can do the thing and roll ’em.

Team Leaders

Using projected numbers

Rockies

  • OBP: Nolan Jones (.368)
  • ISO: Jones (.210)
  • HR: Jones (25)
  • R+RBI: Jones (182)
  • wRC+: Jones (116)
  • BSR: Brenton Doyle (1.3)
  • Defense: Ezequiel Tovar (17.0)
  • SP K/9: Ryan Feltner (8.06)
  • SP BB/9: Austin Gomber (2.81)
  • SP FIP: Feltner (4.75)
  • RP K/9: Evan Justice (10.29)
  • RP BB/9: Anthony Molina (2.69)
  • RP FIP: Justin Lawrence (4.25)
  • WAR: Jones (3.5)

Cubs

  • OBP: Seiya (.352)
  • ISO: Morel (.224)
  • HR: Morel (25)
  • R+RBI: Belli (178)
  • wRC+: Seiya (124)
  • BSR: Hoerner (2.6)
  • Defense: Swanson (18.0)
  • SP K/9: Shota (9.59)
  • SP BB/9: Cyle (2.17)
  • SP FIP: Shota (3.55)
  • RP K/9: Merryweather (11.90)
  • RP BB/9: Alzolay (2.41)
  • RP FIP: Merryweather (3.84)
  • WAR: Swanson (4.4)

Who isn’t available?

For the Cubs, Justin Steele is likely to miss all of April with the hamstring strain he suffered on opening day. Jameson Taillon is on the 15-day DL and will probably need a rehab start or two in early April. Caleb Killian is out until at least the ASB with the shoulder injury he suffered in ST. Patrick Wisdom is on the IL with a back injury and continues his un-DFAed streak until at least mid April.

For the Rockies, Daniel Bard, who can never catch a break, is on the IL with a torn meniscus suffered in ST. German Marquez is on the 60-day, recovering from TJ surgery from last year.

Pitching Matchups

Projected K/9, BB/9, ERA listed for each

Monday: Dakota Hudson, RHP (5.49, 3.49, 5.12) vs Shota Imanaga, LHP (9.59, 2.63, 3.55), 1:20 PM CT

Tuesday: Kyle Freeland, LHP (5.70, 2.69, 5.24) vs Javier Assad, RHP (7.17, 3.54, 4.33), 6:40 PM CT

Wednesday: Cal Quantrill, RHP (5.85, 2.96, 4.93) vs Ben Brown?, RHP (9.03, 3.86, 4.23), 6:40 PM CT

Probably a bullpen-ish day on Wednesday.

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Comments

  1. Author
    berselius

    Further enshittification – on top of no longer supporting the ps4 playstation mlb app, the radio broadcasts now put in ads to match the tv broadcast, which makes the pregame show unlistenable and typically cuts off Pat’s sign on.😡

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  8. andcounting

    berselius,

    There’s a commercial for the Illinois Lottery featuring a dude getting in the bathtub, and this dude has pornographically large breasts. I’m a little jealous of the blackouts at this point.

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  18. Author
    berselius

    berselius,

    Officially

    Christopher Morel singles on a ground ball to left fielder Nolan Jones. Ian Happ scores. Seiya Suzuki scores. Christopher Morel scores. Fielding error by left fielder Nolan Jones. Throwing error by left fielder Nolan Jones.

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  28. andcounting

    They said on the TV broadcast that’s the fourth shutout in the last 6 home openers. Bottle that energy and save it for later.

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  30. BVS

    Totally missed the day game schedule today. Could have watched too. Oh well.

    Meanwhile, did you enter the MLBTR free agent prediction contest? I did. I got 2, (dying laughing). Shota and Nola. Finished better than about 1000 others though. Takehome is no one is good at predicting FA signings.

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  35. andcounting

    Rice Cube: How does that even happen?

    The White Sox alienated quite possibly the best local TV play-by-play guy in the game and replaced him with a carnie whose only baseball knowledge is the secret to setting up the milk bottle tower in a way that makes it impossible to knock down with just one baseball toss and proceeded to send said carnie on a promotional tour, the theme of which was that this year’s team was all about playing with a high baseball IQ and a lot of pluck. Meanwhile, they retained the services of a manager who somehow made fans long for the drunk old days of medically induced coma LaRussa. How does any of it happen? Jerry Reinsdorf hates what his life has become, and he wants everyone around him to suffer.

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  36. Author
    berselius

    andcounting,

    Could just be a homage to Peter Angelos, who drove Jon Miller out of town in the 90s.

    I don’t have my finger on the pulse of White Sox media but I’m a little surprised that Len Kasper’s name didn’t seem to come up to either replace Benetti or to also get the hell out of there. That’s a bad beat for Len on his bet that he’d be able to call a World Series at some point.

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  38. Perkins

    berselius,

    I always assumed Len had developed some beef with either Marquee or the Ricketts family and the “call a World Series game” thing was a smoke screen.

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  39. Author
    berselius

    Perkins,

    I think that’s the most likely wrt the cubs too, but I bet he sure as hell would want get out of his new gig too (dying laughing).

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  40. andcounting

    Perkins:
    berselius,

    I always assumed Len had developed some beef with either Marquee or the Ricketts family and the “call a World Series game” thing was a smoke screen.

    That’s definitely what I thought at the time, but after reflecting a bit more on it, it does stand out to me how through a few years of postseason runs, his sole contributions during that stretch were a step down from Zach Zaidman’s role. He was just an on-field interviewer through all those playoff victories. You call preseason games and 150 regular season games through all the shit rebuilding years, and when the really big, mind-blowing moments finally come around, you’re sitting on your hands waiting for a few broadcast scraps to get tossed your way.

    I can see how that would be incredibly frustrating and unfulfilling. Maybe not White-Sox levels of frustrating and unfulfilling, but still pretty bad.

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  41. Author
    berselius

    andcounting,

    He did do a few national games but I guess he’ll never get the gig over Joe Buck. I wonder if the long term game would be to take over for Pat whenever he hangs em up, which would be interesting. If he put his hat in the ring it would be an easy choice.

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  43. Perkins

    andcounting,

    That makes sense and I guess at the time he left the White Sox were looking ascendant. Then they hired TLR to drunk drive their franchise into Lake Michigan.

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  64. andcounting

    berselius:
    Cubs so lucky to have Assad

    I thought for sure he would be dealt just because there’s so much value there. As it is he’s just their backup store brand ace. Fine by me! (dying laughing)

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  70. Rice Cube

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  71. Author
    berselius

    Gonna be miserable tonight, I’m a little surprised the Cubs didn’t (re) schedule these as day games for the chance at slightly warmer weather and more flexibility in weather delays.

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  72. Author
    berselius

    It’s not like they have to worry about lost ticket sales on nights that are mid 30s and drizzly

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  92. Author
    berselius

    Cubs first two pitchers today were Little, Brown, much to the amusement of my publishing friends

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  107. Perkins

    TIL that Derrek Lee was the only MLB player to spell his first name that way.

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 368 9/9:
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  113. Rice Cube

    Saves are dumb anyway but this is still quirky

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