It seems as if the Rockies' current opponent is always one of the hottest teams in the league. Maybe that's because that team tends to be after a series against Colorado. The Cardinals are not, actually, as they have lost two consecutive games. They did win 7 of 8 prior to that though, so there's that.

In the opener, they draw Kyle Lohse, who has been as boring and consistently effective as any pitcher in the majors. He's on a 10-start stretch of 6.0 IP. He's allowed 2 ER in half of those, 3 ER in one, 1 ER in two, and held one team scoreless.

In response, the Rockies send out...Jeff Francis!