After taking two of three from the Marlins over the weekend to grab sole possession of first place in the NL West, the Diamondbacks will try to win their third straight series as they visit the Rockies for a three-game set.
The Rockies have been one of baseball's surprises thus far, coming into the week at 23-20 and just two game back of the D-backs for the division lead. The teams have already played seven times this season, with the Rockies taking two of three when the teams met at Coors Field a month ago. Here's a look at where the teams stand entering the early-week matchup.
Pitching matchups: Monday -- LHP Patrick Corbin (6-0, 1.52 ERA) vs. RHP Jon Garland (3-4, 4.89). Tuesday -- RHP Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.88) vs. RHP Jhoulys Chacin (3-3, 4.07). Wednesday -- RHP Trevor Cahill (3-4, 2.48) vs. LHP Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 3.58).
Who's hot for the D-backs: First baseman Paul Goldschmidt turned the early-season MVP talk up a notch with a 6-for-13 series against the Marlins over the weekend. He did the real damage in the first game of the series, going 4 for 5 with two home runs, a double and four RBI. He now leads the NL in slugging and OPS, is tied for second in home runs (12) and ranks third in RBI (35). ... Monday starter Patrick Corbin has been on the hot list pretty much all year. His seven shutout innings against the Braves last week gave him his sixth win (second most in the NL) and lowered his ERA to 1.52 (third best in the NL). ... Third baseman Eric Chavez has provided a spark lately, going 7 for 13 with five RBI over the last four games. ... Wednesday starter Trevor Cahill is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA over his last five starts, having allowed fewer than two runs in all but one of them.
Who's not: Infielder Cliff Pennington has seen reduced playing time since rookie shortstop Didi Gregorius arrived. He's 2 for his last 11, mostly in pinch-hit duty. ... Outfielder A.J. Pollock is still tied for second in the NL with 14 doubles but is 1 for his last 19. ... Third baseman Martin Prado had three hits and an RBI on Friday but still has just two RBI since April 29.
Who's hot for the Rockies: Catcher Wilin Rosario wreaked havoc in a four-game series with the Giants that wrapped up Sunday. Playing three games, Rosario went 6 for 14 with two home runs and seven RBI. ... Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez had a modest four hits in 12 at-bats over the weekend, but in that stretch, he tallied five RBI. He also recorded his 10th home run of the season, leaving him tied for third in the NL. ... Over the course of a six-game hitting streak, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is 12 for 28 (.429) with six RBI and three doubles. His 37 RBI lead the NL.
Who's not: Tuesday starter Jhoulys Chacin has lost three straight starts, giving up 16 runs (15 earned) in that span, though the second of those three starts was a decent two-run outing. Against the Giants last Thursday, Chacin gave up eight runs in five innings, bumping a 2.70 ERA to 4.07. ... First baseman Todd Helton has one hit in his last 12 at-bats, though that hit was a two-run homer.
Notes, quotes, odds and ends: Corbin will try to extend his season-opening streak of starts of six innings or more with two or fewer runs allowed. His eight in a row to start the season are the most by any pitcher since Ubaldo Jimenez's 12 in 2010 and most ever by a D-backs pitcher. A win would push Corbin to 7-0, matching D-backs legend Randy Johnson's franchise-best start by a left-hander. … The D-backs are 4-3 against the Rockies this season and 1-2 at Coors Field. Of the seven games the teams have played this year, five have been decided by one run. ... After taking series from the Braves and Marlins, the D-backs will try to win three straight series for the first time this season. ... The D-backs scored in the ninth inning Sunday to remain the only team in baseball to avoid being shut out yet this season.
