San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Rockies, Braves know it’s Game 3 or never
The thin mountain air in Denver might do wonders for the slumping Colorado Rockies.
They’re going home again, down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Sunday at Coors Field.
“I don’t have a doubt that we’re going to get things going,” Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said.
If not, he could be gone. The one-year, $5 million deal Gonzalez signed last offseason to return to Colorado expires at the end of the year. After 11 seasons playing on Blake Street, the three-time Gold Glove winner and 2010 NL batting champion is about as synonymous with Colorado as dry air and beer.
He’s a lifetime .323 hitter at Coors Field, 72 points higher than his road average. He knows how much of a difference playing at home makes for hitters.
The Rockies finished among the major-league leaders in several offensive categories this year. But they’ve scored just six runs in four games since slugging five homers in a 12-0 victory over Washington last Sunday that left them tied for the NL West lead after 162 games. “When you’re down and you have some opportunities in front of you and you don’t get it done, you’re going to have some emotions you don’t see in the regular season. The season is on the line,” Gonzalez said.
The Rockies will start German Marquez (14-11, 3.77 ERA) in Game 3 against Milwaukee’s
Wade Miley (5-2, 2.57).
Braves’ switch: With the season on the line, the Atlanta Braves will throw a changeup.
Trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in their NL Division Series, the Braves will start left-hander Sean Newcomb in Game 3 on Sunday rather than Kevin Gausman. Newcomb nearly pitched a no-hitter against Los Angeles in July, and the Dodgers have beaten righthanders in the series’ first two games.
“We need to win,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. “And not that Gausman doesn’t give us that opportunity. We like how Newcomb matches up with them and the success that he’s had against the Dodgers this year.”
Snitker discussed the switch with general manager Alex Anthopoulos after Atlanta’s 3-0 loss Friday.
“Snit came up and talked to me on the plane before we took off, let me know that that was a possibility, so kind of get my mind right before I kind of went to bed,” Newcomb said. “So I kind of had a forewarning.”
Rookie right-hander Walker Buehler is set to start for the Dodgers. He allowed one hit in 62⁄3 scoreless innings Monday in a 5-2 win over Colorado in the NL West tiebreaker. He was 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA.