Two games into their September stop at Yankee Stadium, the Rockies have scored four runs, struck out 24 times and lost twice.
The Yankees won the opener 5–3 before taking Game 2 by a 6–1 score.
Tonight gives the Rockies (55–90) one more chance to salvage a game against the Yankees (83–62), avoid the sweep and carry a bit of momentum with them to Detroit.
Ryan Feltner will make his 22nd start in a season that has gone poorly. He is 5–9 with a 5.91 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 106.2 innings.
Feltner leads
with his four-seam fastball and varies his secondary mix from there. He works primarily with the slider and changeup against lefties, then turns to the slider, sinker and sweeper against righties. Lefties have produced a .293/.378/.507 line against him this season, while righties are at .275/.326/.522.
The changeup has been Feltner’s best pitch, producing 41 of his 81 strikeouts, including all five in his last start against St. Louis. Feltner throws it 28% of the time against lefties, compared with just 6% against righties. Against New York’s lefty-heavy lineup, there may be a path for Feltner if he can get ahead of hitters and continue to let the changeup finish things off.
Meanwhile, things won’t be getting any easier for the Rockies’ offense. After being handled by Cam Schlittler and Will Warren in the first two games, Colorado will face Max Fried in the finale.
The left-hander is 4–4 with a 2.73 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Since returning from injury in July, he has been even better, posting a 1.85 ERA across 34.0 innings with 37 strikeouts.
Fried also works with a deep arsenal. His sinker is the foundation against lefties, while righties see a balanced combination of cutters, four-seamers, changeups, curveballs, sinkers and sweepers.
Unlike Feltner, Fried has dominated hitters from both sides of the plate. Lefties have managed a .152/.218/.177 line against him, while righties are hitting .213/.280/.292. Still, the Rockies will trot out seven batters from the right side against Fried.
Aaron Judge is not in the lineup after playing in the first two games following his return from the injured list. New York is 38–22 in games Judge has played this season and 45–40 without him.
Even without Judge, the Rockies still have plenty to solve on both sides of the ball. Can Feltner ride his changeup through New York’s lefty-heavy lineup while the offense finds a way to get to Fried?
The details…
First pitch: 5:05 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)
Yankees SB Nation: Pinstripe Alley
Lineups:
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