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David Hale will make his third start of the season in spot duty for the Colorado Rockies on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field. Hale is starting in place of Chad Bettis, who was pushed back to Wednesday to allow him extra rest.
Hale pitched pretty well in each of his first two starts, allowing a total of six earned runs in 12⅔ innings. The 27-year-old right-hander has flashed the right mindset for succeeding at Coors Field. Hale has given up three homers across two starts, but he's kept the Rockies in the game in those outings because he has yet to issue a walk.
He's going to be prone to allowing hits, but Hale's ability to avoid clogging the bases with free passes will at least give Colorado's offense a chance to win the game. They'll be tasked with doing that tonight against John Lackey, who owns a 2.93 ERA in 70⅔ innings. Lackey hasn't fared particularly well in two starts in Denver, surrendering nine runs on 16 hits -- including four home runs -- in 12⅔ frames.