Matchup Thread Game # 74 at Rockies

Wandy Rodriguez	Jamey Wright
2 - 3, 7.64	4 - 7, 5.31

Mountain time start tonight, and as psyched as I am with the series victory over the Rangers, this one tonight scares me, and really, all three do.

Although better with their baggage packed as of late, Houston has yet to win their tenth on the road. And if you check carefully, you'll find that Colorado does have a winning record at home. As well they should; this is still a sick, mutant ballpark, and strange things happen there as a matter of course.

Broken bat homers, bloop doubles, grand slams hit by the pitcher--these kinds of things occur with appalling regularity at the stadium just off Blake Street.

And although the 2005 Rockies are young, and not yet very good, they have still been able to harness some of the freakish offensive mojo that resides at their home park. Of course, the Rockies are 5 - 31 on the road, but 20 - 17 in Denver. They've hit 26 homers on the road, and 40 at home. They've slugged .343 on the road, and .480 at home. Even their ERA is better in Denver. . . .

Our ace in the hole doesn't mean as much as it usually does, either. Clemens, too, has been ambushed at Coors: the Rocket has a 5.59 ERA in two starts at Coors with a WHIP over two and less than 10 innings pitched. And if they can rock Roger, what might they do to Wandy? If you thought the shellshocked look that Rodriguez had after the loss to the Cardinals was bad, it may have only have been a prelude to the way he'll look after tonight.

Yikes. This scares me.

You see what I've done for the preview, just broken down everyone's OPS vs. the three starters for the series. I understand a lot of the younger players in these games haven't seen their counterparts much, but shucks, that don't bother me none, I'm the king of the small sample size.