The Rockies dodged a bullet when they learned that Braves ace Javier Vazquez will miss his scheduled start today due to a strained lower abdominal muscle--but they still have to wake up on offense to take advantage of their good fortune to even the series at two games apiece.
Getting the ball in a spot start today is Kris Medlen (2-3, 5.72 ERA, 3.84 FIP), whose peripherals suggest that he's been a much more effective pitcher than his ERA gives him credit for. He does have a propensity for walking batters (5.40/9) though he does strike out quite a few (9.21/9). Medlen is more of a flyball pitcher, which should play right into the Rockies' hands.
Medlen was shelled by the Rockies earlier this year---let's do that again please. However, he really doesn't have anything to lose in this start, making him a dangerous opponent.
Opposing Medlen will be Jason Hammel (5-4, 4.07 ERA, 3.81 FIP), one of the more pleasant surprises for the Rockies this year. Hammel pitched (and lost) in the first Atlanta series.
Unfortunately, most of Hammel's success has come on the road (4-2, 1.97 ERA) while he has struggled at Coors Field (1-2, 7.00 ERA). Opponents are hitting .363 off of Hammel at home with a .395 BABIP, so at least a measure of Hammel's home struggles is due to bad luck. Let's hope that Jason has his good stuff this afternoon.
Seth Smith gets two starts in a row and is hitting 3rd! It looks like Tracy is going with the alternating LR strategy today, Cotton. Let's see how it pays off for him.