This isn't the NFL. There is no time to revel in victory or wallow in defeat in between games. The last two days, we were thankful for that fact. We needed a new game to wash out the rancid taste of Jorge de la Rosa, Jason Hammel and Michael Pelfrey. Unfortunately, now that Ubaldo Jimenez has reversed the streak in the most dramatic fashion possible, the turnaround isn't kind. The Rockies take on the Braves again today, with the first pitch scheduled to come 25 minutes before noon Colorado time.
So we can't go on celebrating that no-hitter. You know what? Screw it. Celebrate it all you want. Let it bleed into today's game thread. Don't let it die. That's the advantage of being fans. It's the players' job to be move on and be prepared, not ours.
As it stands, Ubaldo's magnificent outing did exactly what the club needed. After two difficult losses, Colorado is now in position to win their third consecutive series. Just one win and Colorado will take a road series from a strong Atlanta team, matching the high water mark of two games above .500. A win today, and the Rockies will have their second winning streak of this young season.
Pitching matchups and lineups after the jump.
Atlanta should feel about today's matchup, as Jair Jurrjens is certainly the better pitcher. We also can be nearly convinced already that Jurrjens will be more effective than his last start. We also know Greg Smith won't be as effective as his last start either. No matter. We can still take this one.
How I would write out lineups if I were ma
ROCKIES | BRAVES |
Carlos Gonzalez - CF | Nate McLouth - CF |
Seth Smith - LF | Martin Prado - 2B |
Todd Helton - 1B | Chipper Jones - 3B |
Troy Tulowitzki - SS | Brian McCann - C |
Brad Hawpe - RF | Troy Glaus - 3B |
Chris Iannetta - C | Yunel Escobar - SS |
Ian Stewart - 3B | Jason Heyward - RF |
Clint Barmes - 2B | Matt Diaz - LF |
Greg Smith - P | Ubaldo Jimenez - P |