Rockies-Orioles preview
BALTIMORE -- The resurgent Colorado Rockies will look to take the three-game series with the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the finale on Wednesday.
After dropping the opener on a throwing error by right-hander Jordan Lyles in the 10th inning, the Rockies bounced back with a solid 6-3 victory on Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Colorado has won five of its past six games and is playing with confidence.
"I think we've come out of the break pretty well," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "I've been telling the club all year that we're going to get better and better as the year goes on.
"That had not been our history over the past few years. We've kind of faded the deeper we got into the season. I feel like this is a different group and we're built to sustain success better than we have over the past few years."
Baltimore is also playing well, but its five-game winning streak ended Tuesday. The Orioles have the best home record in the major leagues at 37-15, and will look to quickly put the latest setback behind them.
Right-hander Dylan Bundy (3-2, 3.30 ERA) is trying to make his case to remain in the rotation for the rest of the season. In his last start, Bundy picked up his first major league win as a starter in the Orioles' 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Bundy went five innings and threw 87 pitches, which were both career highs.
"It's great to give the team five innings and go out there and give the team a chance to win," Bundy said. "That's the starter's goal in the game is to give the team a chance to win."
Bundy was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft but underwent Tommy John surgery two years later. Orioles manager Buck Showalter is confident that Bundy could remain a starter for the rest of the season, as opposed to working out of the bullpen, without jeopardizing his health.
"I've talked to a lot of people about it medically, trainers and pitching coaches, and everyone's in agreement," Showalter said. "All this stuff about increment jumps and all that, it's very convenient to say all those things, but there's nothing to back it up. It's all individual."
The Rockies will counter with 24-year-old right-hander Jon Gray (6-4, 4.12 ERA). In his last start, Gray was dominant and allowed just one run and struck out eight in seven innings in a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves. He leads the team with 12 quality starts.
On Monday, the Rockies promoted top outfield prospect David Dahl and he started the past two games in left field. He has gone 2-for-8.
The influx of young talent, along with several talented veterans, has provided Weiss with a wide array of choices with his lineup.
"I do like the mix," Weiss said. "Ideally, there has to be a mix. You can't be exclusively young or exclusively old. You're in trouble either way. I like the combination of youth and veterans that we have."