Colorado Rockies game no. 58 thread: Chad Kuhl vs Joe Musgrove

After taking two of three games against the Giants, the Colorado Rockies now begin the second half of their six-game road trip. Next stop is San Diego, where they’ll take on the second-place Padres.

Starting for the Rox is Chad Kuhl (4-2, 3.17 ERA), who is making his second start of the month. His first outing in June was a very nice six-inning showing, as he kept the Atlanta Braves off the board and allowed just five hits, all singles. The 29-year-old righthander is trying to looking more like the pitcher he was in April as opposed to May (1.90 ERA in April versus 5.18 in May), and that start against Atlanta was a step in the right direction. Kuhl will now have to battle a team that he’s historically struggled against, as in his four career starts against San Diego (all while part of the Pirates), he owns a 5.12 ERA and has been knocked around for 19 hits in 19 ¹⁄₃ innings.

The Padres will be led by one of the best in the game, Joe Musgrove (6-0, 1.64 ERA). Musgrove enters play owning the National League’s third-best ERA and WHIP. The righty has yet to allow more than two earned runs in a start this season, and has thrown at least six innings in all ten of his outings. The Cy Young candidate has allowed one run in his last 23 innings, and the Rockies will have a tall task ahead of them as he’s typically shut them down well over his career. We’ll see if Colorado can break through in this game.

There’s some reason to hope, as a few Rockies have found success against Musgrove in the past. Charlie Blackmon, for instance, is hitting .455 in 11 at-bats, while Garrett Hampson is 3-for-7. Both are in the starting lineup, with Blackmon hitting second behind on-base machine Connor Joe and Hampson hitting ninth. The Padres are still without Fernando Tatís Jr. as he recovers from a wrist fracture - Ha-seong Kim has filled in at shortstop in his absence. No batter on San Diego has more than six previous at-bats against Kuhl, as Manny Machado is 1-for-6 and Eric Hosmer is 2-for-5.

First Pitch: 7:40 p.m. MDT

TV: AT&T Sports Net Rocky Mountain (COL), MLB.tv

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

Lineups: