The Arizona Diamondbacks (34-35) are heading north to Colorado on Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (30-39).
The Rockies have only won three of their last ten games and sit at the bottom of the National League West standings.
The D-Backs series against the Rockies will begin a six-game road trip for Arizona, as the team will head to San Diego for a weekend series with the Padres later in the week. It also marks a string of 13 straight games the D-Backs will play against divisional opponents.
As crazy as it sounds, the Diamondbacks are only four-and-a-half games back of the Dodgers for first in the west.
If Arizona can continue their winning ways, they could make some more moves in the standings this week.
Expected Pitching Matchups
Tuesday
Chase Anderson (3-1) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-9)
Wednesday
Allen Webster (1-1) vs. David Hale (2-2)
Thursday
Rubby De La Rosa (6-3) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (4-3)
Players to Watch
Welington Castillo
Castillo has played well since coming to the valley of the sun. He's hitting .300 over the past week and has quickly built chemistry with the D-Backs' pitching staff.
He's been solid defensively and seen his RBI total nearly double since coming to Arizona. He's also driven in a run in each of his last three starts.
Castillo has a chance to make an impact with his bat against Colorado, but his defensive ability and chemistry with the pitching staff will also be key against the Rockies.
Charlie Blackmon
The Rockies centerfielder is having a good season.
Blackmon is hitting .275 with 30 RBIs this year. He's also stolen a team-high 17 bases.
This past week, Blackmon has hit .357 and driven in nine runs. He's also hitting .348 against Arizona this season.
Major Storyline
Can the D-Backs get back to .500?
The D-Backs say they aren't record watching, but they do have a chance to get back to .500 with a win in their series opener in Colorado.
The last time Arizona was .500 was April 24, when the team was 8-8.
Arizona has won seven of their last ten games and are playing arguably their best baseball of the year. That has been largely in part to the turnaround the pitching staff has made.
The D-Backs don't get any rings for getting to .500 in mid-June, but getting to that mark could give the team a big boost as it heads towards the All-Star break.
