Colorado Rockies game no. 17 thread: Luis Garcia vs. Jon Gray

It will be a cold showdown of the worst teams in the AL and NL West on Tuesday night, as the Rockies (4-12) host the Astros (7-8) in the first of the two-game series at Coors Field.

Jon Gray (1-1) will get the start for the Rockies with his 2.87 ERA and 1.149 WHIP, which are both the lowest of all of Colorado’s starters this season. Despite his numbers, Gray has been inconsistent thus far. In his lone loss and his indecision, Gray went up against the Dodgers and didn’t make it more than five innings. In Gray’s lone win, which came against the Diamondbacks, Gray took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Righty Luis Garcia (0-0. 2.35 ERA) will be on the bump for the Astros, making the start in place of Lance McCullers Jr., who is still recovering from a non-COVID related illness.

After missing the last four games, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, catcher Martín Maldonado, and infielder Robel Garcia will return to the roster after clearing tests that benched them for COVID-19 protocols on April 14. Jose Altuve was also on the list and has not been cleared. He didn’t travel with the team to Denver.

Despite 4-9 inches of snow that fell over Denver overnight, the grounds crew was hard at work to get the field ready.

While snow may not be a problem, game temperatures are expected to be in the high 30s at first pitch, but will fall as the game goes on. While that will be one of the coldest games in Astros history, it’s not unusual for the Rockies, whose four coldest games had start temps in the 20s, including the top spot: a 23-degree game on April 23, 2013.

First Pitch: 6:40 P.M. MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain; MLB.tv

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups: