• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Volquez, Cook set to duel in battle of 15-game winners

Aug 23, 2008 - 10:18 AM Cincinnati (57-72) at Colorado (59-71) 8:05 pm EDT

DENVER (Ticker) -- Edinson Volquez and Aaron Cook both used surprising first halves to make their first All-Star Game. The second half, however, hasn't been quite as nice.

Two of the National League's three 15-game winners take the mound on Saturday as the Cincinnati Reds meet the Colorado Rockies.

Volquez (15-5, 2.73) cruised into his first "Midsummer Classic" with a 12-3 record with a 2.29 ERA but has tailed off, going 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA over his first four post-break starts. The righthander has turned things around of late though, posting wins in each of his last two outings while yielding one combined run.

After permitting a single run over 6 2/3 innings in a victory at Pittsburgh, the righthander won for the third time in four turns, permitting three hits and four walks over seven scoreless innings in Sunday's 7-3 victory over St. Louis.

Like Volquez, Cook (15-8, 3.86) entered his first All-Star Game off a stellar start, going 11-6 with a 3.57 ERA. Since the break, the sinkerballer is 4-2 with a 4.93 ERA, dropping two of his last three starts.

However, he ended his two-game slide in Sunday's 7-2 triumph over Washington, allowing two runs and seven hits over five frames. The righthander, who hasn't pitched into the seventh inning in any of his last three outings, will be hoping to go six-plus frames again after doing so in 21 of his first 23 starts.