Rockies 3 - 5 Diamondbacks
Final
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Anderson hopes to continue breakout campaign versus Rockies

Aug 8, 2014 - 2:45 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - If nothing else, at least there's Chase Anderson.

Though his Arizona teammates have been playing out the string for much of the season, the rookie right-hander will try to continue a personal breakout performance on Friday night when the Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies to open a three-game series at Chase Field.

Arizona has won four straight games between the teams, who are worst and second-worst in the National League and, barring remarkable turnarounds, headed straight toward sub-.500 seasons.

The Diamondbacks haven't been below break-even since 2010, when they won just 65 games. A loss Thursday to Kansas City, however, was their fifth in six games on a 10-game homestand.

Anderson is unbeaten in his last four starts, however, and allowed just five hits and a single run in six innings Saturday against Pittsburgh, though Arizona lost the game, 8-3.

"He pitched great," manager Kirk Gibson said. "He's throwing the ball really good. He's kind of getting into a groove. He's on a pretty good roll right now."

His lone meeting with the Rockies came June 3 in Colorado and ended with a 4-2 victory. The visitors enter the series with just two wins in 11 games.

They scored 13 runs Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs in a win, but had just two on Thursday.

"We couldn't get the clutch hit. We couldn't get the big inning," manager Walt Weiss said. "We had a couple of opportunities. Just couldn't get it done."

On the road, they have just two wins in their last 20 games while the offense has managed just 2.8 runs per game with a .228 batting average. The starting pitchers haven't been much better, allowing a 5.71 earned run average in the same 20-game stretch.

Rookie lefty Tyler Matzek was ripped for 10 hits and eight runs in four-plus innings at Detroit on Saturday and returns for the first time since.

He's 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in five road starts, but has never faced Arizona.

The Rockies have won two of three at Chase Field this season, but won just twice in 10 games there last year.






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