What bettors need to know: Game 3 - Arizona at Colorado
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Hernandez vs. Fogg
Colorado’s Josh Fogg will take the mound Sunday night when the Rockies attempt to take a 3-0 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. Fogg was 10-9 overall this season with a 4.79 ERA and was 5-4 at Chase Field with a 4.83 ERA.
The veteran right-hander pitched two scoreless innings of relief in the D-backs’ 10-5 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of their NLDS. Fogg pitched four innings and allowed five runs in the Rockies’ 9-8 win over the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card tiebreaker on October 1.
Livan Hernandez gets the nod for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander was 11-11 during the regular season with a 4.93 ERA and led Arizona to a series clinching Game 3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Hernandez allowed five hits and one run in Arizona’s 5-1 victory.
Hernandez is 4-6 against the Rockies dating to 2004, while Fogg is 7-3 against the Diamondbacks dating to 2005.
Rock and roll
The Rockies have been magnificent since a September 15 trouncing by the Marlins. They have won 19 of their last 20, including 10 straight on the road and eight straight overall.
A Game 2 win over the D-backs on Friday made Colorado the first NL club to win its first five postseason games since the Wild Card was introduced in 1995.
The Rockies return home Sunday for Game 3 of the NLCS with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Diamondbacks.
“Denver is going to be a crazy place this weekend, and we're excited to go home and keep playing the way we've been playing,” Rockies first baseman Todd Helton told MLB.com. “But we still have some work to do.”
It might not be as hard as Helton thinks.
Since the league championship series expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1984, 14 of the 17 teams that won the first two games advanced to the World Series.
“We expect to win every game,” Rockies pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs told reporters. “To come out of Arizona with two wins is pretty much what we expected.”
Squeaking by
It certainly hasn’t been the Rockies’ offense that has landed them a 2-0 series lead over the Diamondbacks. Colorado is batting a dismal .211 and has 22 strikeouts in two games against Arizona.
“We're fundamentally sound, we pitch better, we find ways to win,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told reporters after their Game 2 win. “That has played out very well. We've got nine straight road wins and four in the postseason. That speaks for itself.”
Arizona, comparatively, continues to find ways to lose.
The D-backs loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but third-baseman Mark Reynolds struck out to end the inning. Reynolds also had a fielding error that scored a Colorado run in the second inning.
“We've come back from some difficult circumstances this year,” Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin told the Arizona Daily Star. “It's only two games and they have to get four to win.”
Crunching the numbers
The Rockies are 7-1 in their last eight games as a home favorite and are 8-2 in Fogg’s last 10 starts at Coors Field.
Fogg is also 5-1 in his last six starts overall and 5-0 in his last five starts against the NL West.
Conversely, the Diamondbacks are 6-13 in Hernandez’ last 19 starts as a road underdog and 7-15 in Hernandez’ last 22 road starts.
“I know what happens in the playoffs, and that is that one run can be the difference,” Hernandez told reporters. “It is important to make some runs and save some runs. You never see a 14-0 playoff game or a 10-0 game. Every game is close.”
The under has cashed in five of the six series meetings between Arizona and Colorado at Coors Field.
Baseball
Trailing Colorado, 2-0, the Arizona Diamondbacks will count on right-hander Livan Hernandez to get back into their National League Championship Series tonight.
Hernandez, 2-1 in his last three starts with a 4.50 earned-run average, will face Colorado right-hander Josh Fogg, who pitched in relief against Philadelphia in the three-game division series, in tonight's Game 3 at Coors Field.
The Rockies, who had the second-best home record in the National League at 51-31 during the regular season, have been made -150 to -153 favorites to win tonight.
But in case you needed a good vibe for the Diamondbacks, they are 4-1 in their last five games after they lost the first two games of a series.
www.latimes.com
Arizona (3-2) at Colorado (5-0)
The Diamondbacks will rely on veteran Livan Hernandez (12-11, 4.84 ERA) if they are to get back in the National League Championship Series against the Rockies who will send right-hander Josh Fogg (11-9, 4.88) to the hill at Coors Field in Denver tonight.
Colorado swept two games in Phoenix to get a 2-0 chokehold on the NLCS, winning Friday 3-2 in extra innings. The Rockies incredible run is now stands at 19-1 in their last 20 games, including eight straight wins.
Arizona is just 5-4 in its last nine games overall with all four losses coming against Colorado. For the season the D’Backs are just 8-12 against the Rockies, including 2-8 in the last 10.
Hernandez pitched the NLDS series-clinching win in Chicago eight days ago and gave up just one run on five hits over six innings in the 5-1 victory over the Cubs.
The veteran right-hander faced Colorado five times this season with limited success. The D’Backs were 2-3 in the five outings but Hernandez didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of the five starts. In two starts at Coors Field this season Hernandez allowed three earned runs on nine hits over 14 innings.
Lifetime at Coors Field, Hernandez is 3-3 with a 6.78 ERA in 74 1/3 innings, meanwhile lifetime against Colorado he is 7-8 with a 4.37 ERA.
Fogg hasn’t pitched since Oct. 1 when the Rockies won a 9-8 extra-inning affair over the Padres just to get into the playoffs. Fogg allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings.
Fogg faced Arizona four times this season and the Rockies were 3-1 in those four starts. He held the D’Backs to three earned runs or less in each outing, giving up a combined seven earned runs through 24 innings. Lifetime against Arizona, Fogg is 6-1 in 12 career starts with a 3.71 ERA over 70 1/3 innings.
Colorado is 38-14 in its last 52 home games and 36-17 in its last 53 overall.
The under is 7-3 in Arizona’s last 10 games as an underdog, and 10-4 in the last 14 head-to-head meetings between these two teams. Both the Rockies and D’Backs have stayed under the total in four of their five playoff games.
ATS ADVANTAGE: COLORADO and UNDER