Riding a hot hand, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle decided to start catcher Chris Iannetta for this afternoon’s game against the Cardinals. It will be Iannetta’s fifth straight start.
Yorvit Torrealba, the starting catcher to begin the season, had been told he would start today. Torrealba has just one hit in his last 11 at-bats, his average falling to .235.
Typically, the catcher who plays the night before doesn’t start an afternoon game the next day. But Iannetta is swinging a hot and timely bat and the Rockies are struggling to get some sort of winning streak going. Iannetta lifted the Rockies to a 4-3 victory over the Cardinals Wednesday night with a two-out, two-run triple in the eighth. He is batting .450 (9-for-20) over his last six games, boosting his average from .290 to .353. He has hit a home run in three of his last eight games.
Starting in right field field today is Ryan Spilborghs, who hit a pinch-hit single in the Rockies’ four-run eighth Wednesday night. He is 5-for-6 with a walk in his last seven pinch-hit appearances. Spilborghs is hitting .500 (9-for-18) with runners in scoring position.
The Rockies, 2-4 on the current homestand, seek a victory today to give them a split in the four-game series with the Cardinals. Colorado is just 3-7 in its last 10 games. It begins a six-game, seven-day road trip Friday in San Diego, then moves on to Arizona to play the National League West leading Diamondbacks. The Rockies are just 5-13 against the NL West so far this season.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
