Phillies (54-63) vs. Rockies (56-60)
7:05 p.m. on CSN
Just before the All-Star break, Jerad Eickhoff had one of the worst starts of his career at Coors Field in Colorado. He gets a chance to rebound against the same Rockies lineup that punished him on July 9 while facing the same pitcher who beat him that night, Tyler Anderson.
Here are five things to check out prior to Saturday night's first pitch:
1. Eickhoff vies for redemption
Heading into that July 9 start, Eickhoff was achieving some semblance of consistency that had eluded him for the first few months. He had made seven straight starts of at least five innings and no more than three runs allowed, including six starts of no more than two runs allowed.
And, for a while, it seemed Eickhoff would continue that streak in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. He carried a two-run lead into the fifth inning and retired the first two batters of the frame. He had allowed just three hits, including one to Anderson, the opposing pitcher.
But a two-out single led to a two-run homer by Anderson, which tied the game and foreshadowed Eickhoff's unravelling in the sixth inning. The Phillies' starter retired just one batter in the sixth and was pulled after a three-run triple extended the Rockies' lead to 7-2.
Since the break, Eickhoff has been hot and cold. He gave up six runs in a start to the Marlins just to follow it up with seven innings of one run ball against the same Miami squad five days later. Two starts after that, he gave up two homers and five runs to a weak Padres lineup.
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He's been able to rebound after poor starts all season long and he'll need to again on Saturday. He had allowed four runs in a start five times prior to Sunday's win in San Diego, and each time he has followed it up with no more than three runs in his next start. Therefore, this start against the Rockies is not only a chance to redeem his July 9 disaster but to also continue his streak of avoiding consecutive bad outings.
2. Since we last met Mr. Anderson
Anderson picked up his first career win in that July 9 start and he hasn't lost since. Anderson has brought his ERA for the season down to 3.04 and it hasn't risen above 3.56 at any point this season.
On July 9, he allowed nine hits to the Phils, but walked none and struck out six. In his 11 starts this year, he has struck out at least five batters eight times. He's allowed fewer than one home run per nine innings, an impressive rate for someone who's made eight of his 11 starts at Coors Field.
His last four starts have been some of his best. After allowing four runs to the Rays in a win on July 18, he's thrown four straight quality starts. Perhaps his best performance came on Monday against the Texas Rangers, who possess one of the best lineups in baseball. He limited Texas to just two hits and three walks in seven innings. While the Rockies lost the game, Anderson proved to be up to the task.
His fastball, which tops out around 94 mph, has been the most effective of his three commonly used pitches. His changeup and cutter are good at producing whiffs, posting a strikeout rate higher than 20 percent for both, but have been hit around otherwise.
Overall, Anderson is finally showing some of the promise the Rockies hoped for when he was drafted in the 1st round (20th overall) in the 2011 MLB Draft. He missed plenty of development time with a fractured elbow a few years ago and now projects as a likely No. 5 starter. To get this kind of production out of your No. 5 starter is something the pitching-starved Rockies will gladly accept.
3. Why didn't the Rockies sell?
The Rockies aren't officially out of the playoff hunt. They're four games under .500, but just five games back in the loss column of the second wild-card spot. They are out of the division hunt, 10 games behind the Giants and nine games behind the Dodgers.
But to make the playoffs, Colorado would have to jump four teams, including teams like the Marlins and Mets, who made moves to improve their respective rosters at the trade deadline. It's seemingly unlikely the Rockies would make a big run to pass all those teams with less than 50 games to go.
Therein lies the question posted above: Why didn't the Rockies sell and try to make next season's team better? Despite a nice string of wins to end July, the team was a game under .500 on Aug. 1. Furthermore, pitchers like Sunday's starter Tyler Chatwood or hitters like Carlos Gonzalez would have been attractive to a contender looking to bolster itself for a legitimate playoff push this year.
The team may have seen its roster as one that could compete next season with free-agent and trade acquisitions to add to the talent already in place. The Rockies sport a roster loaded with offensive talent including Gonzalez, rookie shortstop Trevor Story and top notch third baseman Nolan Arenado. They also have one of the top-ranked farm systems with top prospect David Dahl hitting the ground running in the majors in August.
But there's reason to believe otherwise. The window may be small with Gonzalez only under contract for one year. Convincing free-agent pitchers to play half their games at Coors Field is a daunting task for the front office. And it's not like they have a top-notch pitching staff to begin with.
Right now, the squad certainly has its strengths, particularly on the offensive end, yet it's tough to see them rising above their current mediocrity in the near future.
4. Players to watch
Phillies: Despite being a power-hitting right-handed hitter, Maikel Franco actually has a small reverse split, hitting righties better than lefties in his career. He's also better away from Citizens Bank Park, but he picked up a hit against Anderson in July.
Rockies: The aforementioned David Dahl is on a ridiculous tear to begin his career. He's played 18 career games and had a 17-game hit streak before going 0 for 4 Friday night. Only one player in baseball had a longer streak and it's his teammate, Gonzalez, who carries an 18-game streak into tonight.
5. This and that
• Both Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph went 3 for 3 against Anderson a month ago. Joseph had a double and a home run while Hernandez had three singles. Carlos Ruiz, Freddy Galvis and Franco also picked up hits off Anderson.
• Tony Wolters and D.J. LeMahieu went 2 for 3 against Eickhoff in that same game.
• Despite playing at Coors Field, the Rockies only rank 11th in MLB with 146 home runs. They do have the second highest scoring offense with 609 runs, nine behind the MLB-leading Red Sox.
• Unsurprisingly with Coors Field, however, the Rockies' pitching staff has a 4.84 ERA, the fourth worst in baseball. The Phillies have the eighth worst at 4.43.
