Watch Chicago Cubs vs Colorado Rockies live streaming major league baseball online coverage internet sopcast tv audio video feed highlights scores espn 360 gamecast 17 april, 2011. Game Review: Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy wanted to give Troy Tulowitzki the day off Sunday, but the hot-hitting shortstop talked him out of it.
Colorado (11-3) had its seven-game winning streak snapped with an 8-3 loss to Chicago (7-7) on Saturday. The Rockies went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position and were held under five runs for the first time in eight games.
3:10 PM ET, April 17, 2011
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Pitching Matchup
Chicago v Colorado
Ryan Dempster
1-2, 7.71 ERA
Last appearance:
4/11 at HOU
6.1 IP, 4 ER
Dec = Win
Alan Johnson
0-0, 9.00 ERA
Last appearance:
4/17 vs CHC
1.0 IP, 1 ER
Dec = ND
Lineups
NO. Chicago Colorado
1. S. Castro, SS D. Fowler, CF
2. D. Barney, 2B J. Herrera, 2B
3. M. Byrd, CF C. Gonzalez, LF
4. A. Ramirez, 3B T. Tulowitzki, SS
5. C. Pena, 1B T. Helton, 1B
6. A. Soriano, LF S. Smith, RF
7. K. Fukudome, RF J. Lopez, 3B
8. G. Soto, C J. Morales, C
9. R. Dempster, P A. Johnson, P
"We'll file this one away and start over tomorrow and try to win a series," Tracy said. "It's one of those things, this is going to happen once in a while. And as long as it only happens once in a while, we'll be in a very good place."
It should help that the Rockies expect to have Todd Helton back in the lineup. Helton did not start Saturday, entering as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and flying out to center. He did not remain in the game.
Helton, batting .353 this season, faces a favorable matchup against Sunday's scheduled starter Ryan Dempster (1-2, 6.30 ERA). Helton is 9 for 21 with three homers against the right-hander.
Left fielder Carlos Gonzalez could also return for Colorado after sitting out Saturday with soreness related to the flu. Gonzalez is 3 for 6 with a home run against Dempster.
While Tracy said before the loss that he hoped to rest Tulowitzki on Sunday, the manger was talked out of it by his All-Star shortstop.
"I just walked up to him and I talked to him about (how) the San Francisco series (beginning Monday) was not going to be an option, and he looked at me and said, 'Tracy, I'm good.' And as long as he's good and the head trainer's good with the fact that we're not grinding him too hard, then we'll let him keep going out there," Tracy said.
It probably wasn't too difficult a decision. Tulowitzki raised his average to .365 after going 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored in Saturday's loss. However, he's just 1 for 6 with two strikeouts against Dempster.
The Cubs will be trying try to win back-to-back games for the second time this season. They had a season-high 17 hits Saturday, getting home runs from Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano.
Castro went 4 for 5 with three RBIs. He's hitting .397 and is 12 for 24 in the last five games.
"Obviously, that guy was a complete nemesis tonight, period," Tracy said.
Dempster will try to build on his first win of the season. He gave up four runs and six hits -- two homers -- over 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 victory at Houston on Monday. Although Dempster has pitched into the seventh inning in all three starts, none of them have been quality outings.
Quality starts against the Rockies have been few and far between for Dempster, who is 5-4 with a 6.79 ERA versus Colorado. He is 1/3 with a 13.74 ERA in five starts at Coors Field.
Alan Johnson will make his major league debut for the Rockies, who need a spot starter after Thursday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets.
Johnson has spent six-plus seasons in the minors, going 56-42 with a 4.55 ERA. The 27-year-old right-hander made one start at Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, allowing no earned runs in five innings.
Cubs 1Tulowitzki will try to help the Rockies bounce back from a rare loss as they close their three-game series Sunday against the Chicago Cubs.
(7-7, 4-4 away)
Rockies 4
(11-3, 4-2 home)
Colorado (11-3) had its seven-game winning streak snapped with an 8-3 loss to Chicago (7-7) on Saturday. The Rockies went 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position and were held under five runs for the first time in eight games.
3:10 PM ET, April 17, 2011
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Chicago v Colorado
Ryan Dempster
1-2, 7.71 ERA
Last appearance:
4/11 at HOU
6.1 IP, 4 ER
Dec = Win
Alan Johnson
0-0, 9.00 ERA
Last appearance:
4/17 vs CHC
1.0 IP, 1 ER
Dec = ND
Lineups
NO. Chicago Colorado
1. S. Castro, SS D. Fowler, CF
2. D. Barney, 2B J. Herrera, 2B
3. M. Byrd, CF C. Gonzalez, LF
4. A. Ramirez, 3B T. Tulowitzki, SS
5. C. Pena, 1B T. Helton, 1B
6. A. Soriano, LF S. Smith, RF
7. K. Fukudome, RF J. Lopez, 3B
8. G. Soto, C J. Morales, C
9. R. Dempster, P A. Johnson, P
"We'll file this one away and start over tomorrow and try to win a series," Tracy said. "It's one of those things, this is going to happen once in a while. And as long as it only happens once in a while, we'll be in a very good place."
It should help that the Rockies expect to have Todd Helton back in the lineup. Helton did not start Saturday, entering as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and flying out to center. He did not remain in the game.
Helton, batting .353 this season, faces a favorable matchup against Sunday's scheduled starter Ryan Dempster (1-2, 6.30 ERA). Helton is 9 for 21 with three homers against the right-hander.
Left fielder Carlos Gonzalez could also return for Colorado after sitting out Saturday with soreness related to the flu. Gonzalez is 3 for 6 with a home run against Dempster.
While Tracy said before the loss that he hoped to rest Tulowitzki on Sunday, the manger was talked out of it by his All-Star shortstop.
"I just walked up to him and I talked to him about (how) the San Francisco series (beginning Monday) was not going to be an option, and he looked at me and said, 'Tracy, I'm good.' And as long as he's good and the head trainer's good with the fact that we're not grinding him too hard, then we'll let him keep going out there," Tracy said.
It probably wasn't too difficult a decision. Tulowitzki raised his average to .365 after going 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored in Saturday's loss. However, he's just 1 for 6 with two strikeouts against Dempster.
The Cubs will be trying try to win back-to-back games for the second time this season. They had a season-high 17 hits Saturday, getting home runs from Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano.
Castro went 4 for 5 with three RBIs. He's hitting .397 and is 12 for 24 in the last five games.
"Obviously, that guy was a complete nemesis tonight, period," Tracy said.
Dempster will try to build on his first win of the season. He gave up four runs and six hits -- two homers -- over 6 1/3 innings of a 5-4 victory at Houston on Monday. Although Dempster has pitched into the seventh inning in all three starts, none of them have been quality outings.
Quality starts against the Rockies have been few and far between for Dempster, who is 5-4 with a 6.79 ERA versus Colorado. He is 1/3 with a 13.74 ERA in five starts at Coors Field.
Alan Johnson will make his major league debut for the Rockies, who need a spot starter after Thursday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets.
Johnson has spent six-plus seasons in the minors, going 56-42 with a 4.55 ERA. The 27-year-old right-hander made one start at Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, allowing no earned runs in five innings.
