Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies – Series Preview (September 11-13): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (77-67) just salvaged the final game of four against the Diamondbacks to avoid what would have been a costly sweep at Wrigley Field this weekend. Their playoff position weakened a little bit but they still have a two game lead over the aforementioned D-Backs for the second Wild Card spot.
Chicago now heads to the Mile High City for three games against the Rockies (51-91), who have established themselves as the worst team in the National League. They were just swept by the Giants this weekend and don’t appear to have much fight lefty in them.
The Rockies are not a great hitting squad with a team OPS of .707, which has them at 21st in MLB. Their biggest power threat is third baseman Ryan McMahon, who leads the team with 22 homers. Catcher Elias Diaz made the All-Star game this season and his .735 OPS is the second-highest on the team among qualified hitters. Part of the issue is that only four hitters have enough plate appearances to be considered.
Colorado’s pitching staff has been a total disaster in 2023 with an MLB-worst 5.70 ERA. The starting rotation in particular has been a nightmare with an ugly 6.02 ERA. Kyle Freeland is the nominal ace even with a 5.09 ERA, but he’s also the only qualified pitcher on the staff with 146.2 innings. Austin Gomber (139 IP) is the only other Rockies pitcher with as many as 88 innings.
This is certainly an opportunity for the Cubs offense to get back on track with an awful staff and Coors Field waiting for them. Of course, as always, you cannot take any opponent lightly and odd things tend to happen at altitude.
Taking two out of three in this series is imperative and at this point in the season, pretty much every game is a must-win game. The North Siders control their own playoff destiny over the next three weeks hopefully they can seize their chance.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, September 11 at 7:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, September 12 at 7:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, September 13 at 2:10pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/11 | Jordan Wicks | 24 | L | 2.16 | 3-0 | 3.20 | 3.25 |
| Kyle Freeland | 3 | L | 5.09 | 6-14 | 5.36 | 2.22 | |
| 9/12 | Javier Assad | 26 | R | 2.83 | 3-3 | 4.46 | 1.97 |
| Chris Flexen | 29 | R | 7.36 | 1-7 | 6.93 | 2.38 | |
| 9/13 | Jameson Taillon | 31 | R | 5.27 | 7-9 | 4.65 | 3.59 |
| Ty Blach | 27 | L | 4.58 | 2-1 | 5.28 | 2.13 |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs are 44-55 all-time at Coors Field.
- Dansby Swanson had five hits his last two games and maybe he’s starting to come out of his slump.
- Christopher Morel had a triple and a home run after being installed in the leadoff spot Sunday.
- Kris Bryant is still out with a broken finger but may be close to returning after beginning to take batting practice.