• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Nationals-Rockies Preview

Jul 7, 2009 - 5:20 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Washington (24-55) at Colorado (42-39), 8:40 p.m. EDT

The Colorado Rockies might be the hottest team in the majors over the last month, but they still feel they can play better - especially at home.

On Tuesday night, the Rockies try for a second straight home win and a fifth consecutive victory over the lowly Washington Nationals.

Behind eight stellar innings from Jason Marquis, Colorado (43-39) avoided a third straight loss with a 1-0 victory over Washington on Monday. The Rockies are 23-7 since June 4, and bounced back after dropping the final two of a three-game set with struggling Arizona to open a 10-game homestand.

Colorado is 19-17 and has won 10 of its last 13 games at Coors Field, but the club feels it needs to play even better there with 45 of its final 80 games at home.

"We need to capitalize on that," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki told the Rockies' official Web site. "We haven't played the best at home. We definitely need to pick that up if we want to continue our winning ways.

"There's no reason why we shouldn't be at the top of the division and be battling for a wild card."

Though Colorado is batting .274 and averaging 5.6 runs at Coors, they have a 4.97 ERA there compared to 3.77 on the road.

After Marquis' gem made him the majors' first 11-game winner, the Rockies hope right-hander Jason Hammel can follow with another strong outing and continue to lower the club's ERA at home.

Hammel (5-4, 3.90 ERA) is coming off his first career complete game, but was on the losing end after allowing five hits - including an eighth-inning RBI single to Rafael Furcal - in eight innings of a 1-0 loss to the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

"One run can do it. That's baseball," said Hammel, who was 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA in his previous seven starts.

Hammel is making his first appearance versus the Nationals (24-56), who have lost four in a row on the road.

Todd Helton had an RBI double in the first inning Monday for the Rockies, who managed five hits while improving to 6-6 after winning 17 of their previous 18.

Helton is batting .317 on the season, and 7 for 19 (.368) with three doubles in his last five games. The veteran first baseman is a lifetime .393 hitter versus the Nationals franchise, but will get his first look at 23-year-old right-hander Jordan Zimmermann.

Zimmermann (3-3, 4.52) allowed two runs and six hits while striking out six in six innings, but didn't factor in a 5-3 loss at Florida on Wednesday after the Nationals' bullpen couldn't hold a one-run lead.

"Yeah, it's frustrating, but it's the game of baseball. Sometimes it doesn't go your way," Zimmermann told the Nationals' official Web site. "I think all of us are going out there and trying to go as deep in ballgames as we can."

Adam Dunn had one of Washington's seven hits to extend his hitting streak to eight games. He's batting .357 (10 for 28) during that span, and .310 versus the Rockies in his career.