Colorado walked into Pittsburgh as the road dog and is leaving with a chance to steal the series. Paul Skenes carved them up on Tuesday in a 3-1 Pirates win, then Mickey Moniak went double-triple-homer on his 28th birthday Wednesday in a 10-4 Rockies romp. Now it's getaway day and someone has to break the tie.
Chase Dollander gets the ball for Colorado and he's been the most interesting story on a 17-26 roster. He's punched out 39 hitters in 32 innings and his April line (1.71 ERA, 0.86 WHIP across 21 innings) is the kind of stretch that makes Rockies fans pretend it's sustainable. He's coming off a 7-inning, 7-strikeout shutout effort against the Mets — easily the best outing of his young career.
The Pirates counter with Mason Montgomery, which is the polite way of saying they're using an opener. Montgomery has been a reliever almost all year — 12 bullpen outings against just a couple of opener starts — so don't expect him deep into this one. The bigger question is what Pittsburgh's bridge arms look like on the back end of a series where they've already burned through pitching.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Feltner SP — Feltner (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Hartford on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRJ Petit RP — The Rockies transferred Petit (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMcCade Brown SP — The Rockies transferred Brown (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
- 60-Day-ILPierson Ohl RP — The Rockies placed Ohl (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILKris Bryant DH — Bryant said Tuesday that the ongoing pain in his back continues to prevent him from participating in baseball activities, though he's still consulting with doctors and trainers for potential rehab options, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo SP — Solometo is sidelined at Double-A Altoona with recurring left shoulder discomfort, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
- Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda RP — Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMike Clevinger RP — Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayDominic Fletcher RF — Fletcher (shoulder) had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday and went 2-for-7 with a solo home run and a walk in his first two rehab games with the club.
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan SP — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Bart C — Manager Don Kelly said Bart, who is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies, is "banged up," Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Mangum LF — The Pirates placed Mangum on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to Wednesday.
- 15-Day-ILChris Devenski RP — The Pirates placed Devenski on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to an illness.
Both clubs are also working around real injury depth issues. The Rockies are still without Kris Bryant (back) and a chunk of their pitching staff. The Pirates are missing Joey Bart behind the plate and Jake Mangum in the outfield, and Jared Jones' rehab is the only feel-good arm note on either side.
The market has Pittsburgh as a clear home favorite — moneyline implying about 61% — and 82% of DK moneyline handle is on the Pirates. EV is negative on every side, so this is a hold-your-nose spot if you're betting it. The line tells you what the market thinks of an opener day for the home team against a starter pitching like Dollander: the Pirates roster is still the better one, and home games are where their record (23-20) has lived.
Quick gut: Dollander has more rope than Montgomery, and the Rockies just hung 10 runs on this same staff 24 hours ago. If Colorado swings it again early, this becomes a bullpen game Pittsburgh doesn't really want. First pitch is 11:35 AM local.