Cole looks to extend stellar run as Astros face Rockies
Right-hander Gerrit Cole will offer a familiar face on the mound for the Astros on Wednesday, a relative change of pace after Houston debuted two recently acquired right-handed pitchers on Saturday (Aaron Sanchez) and Tuesday (Zack Greinke).
With all the change brought about last week at the trade deadline comes the challenge for Astros manager A.J. Hinch to familiarize himself with the newcomers.
After Greinke surrendered five runs on six hits and two walks over six innings Tuesday in an 11-6 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a two-game interleague series, Hinch was asked for a hasty evaluation of Greinke, one that he was unwilling to provide after watching the veteran ply his trade for 99 pitches.
"I just don't want to rush to judgment or rush to an assessment that I'm not equipped to handle," Hinch said. "I just want to give them a chance to see (what they can do), so we'll see.
"I'll have a little bit more information on all these guys. I've seen Sanchez pitch once; I'm one step closer to feeling like I know a little bit. The mannerisms, the cues, the fatigue level, all that stuff we've got to figure out quickly."
Cole (13-5, 2.87 ERA) gets the start Wednesday as the Astros pursue the series sweep. He is 9-0 with a 1.91 ERA over his past 13 starts, having last absorbed a loss on May 22 against the Chicago White Sox.
The American League Pitcher of the Month for June and July, Cole allowed one run on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts over seven innings in his first start this month, a 7-1 win at Cleveland on Thursday.
He is 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA over six career starts against the Rockies, recording 21 strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings in two starts last season.
Right-hander Peter Lambert (2-2, 5.71 ERA) will start Wednesday for the Rockies. Colorado had dropped each of his previous seven starts prior to Friday, when Lambert did not factor into the decision of a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over six innings.
In his lone appearance against the Astros, Lambert surrendered four runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over five innings in a 4-2 loss at Coors Field on July 3.
What the Rockies need if they long to climb back into the postseason picture via the National League wild card is a more forceful performance from their relievers. The Colorado bullpen entered Tuesday last in the NL in strikeout-minus-walk rate (11.6 percent), and against the Astros posted just two strikeouts against two walks while surrendering six runs over three innings.
"Late in the game, we got to make pitches," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "We got to eliminate the walks. We can't beat ourselves, and (Tuesday), that's what happened, and it's happened a little too much this season."
--Field Level Media
