The Colorado Rockies have fallen off quite a bit since their seven-game winning streak a few weeks ago. After a stronger month of May, the Rockies (21-40) have now dropped five games in a row, including getting swept in a three-game series at home by the Cincinnati Reds this week, and now head on the road for a seven-game trip beginning in St. Louis. Banged up and ineffective, the Rockies are once again left to try and right the ship and find some answers to find consistency as a team.

The Cardinals (29-31) haven’t exactly been firing on all cylinders as their offense has struggled most of this season so far. Sitting third in the NL Central, the Cardinals enter the series on the heels of a nine-game road trip where they dropped five of the nine contests, capped off by a victory on Wednesday. Heading back to their home ballpark, they’ll look to keep the mojo going against a struggling Rockies team.

Pitching Probables

6/6: Cal Quantrill (4-4, 3.84 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (7-3, 3.00 ERA)

Since joining the Rockies, Cal Quantrill has been a model of consistency and effectiveness this season. His competitive nature and approach to pitching has turned in some of the best performances for the Rockies and he had a stellar month of May. However, he didn’t fare as well in his last start when the Los Angeles Dodgers tagged him for four runs on nine hits in just 4 1/3 innings while striking out one and walking two. Quantrill has generally done well with his pitch economy this season but wasn’t able to fool the Dodgers much and he will now look to get back on track with the hopes that his deadly splitter can play a huge role against a scuffling Cardinals lineup.

Sonny Gray started off excellent this season, posting a 0.89 ERA in his first five starts before struggling in his past five outings. Walks have been a major issue for the veteran pitcher but may not have to worry too much with a free-swinging Rockies team. Gray is capable of getting on a role and wracking up strikeouts as he ranks 14th in the league with 77 strikeouts in 57 innings. In his last outing, he struck out 10 batters in just five innings, a number he could easily match against the Rockies if all goes according to plan.

6/7: Austin Gomber (1-3, 3.06 ERA) vs. Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.23 ERA)

Austin Gomber has no doubt been a stellar starter for the Rockiies this season after his incredible month of May, but after his final start in way was pushed back a bit, he struggled in his first outing of June against the Dodgers. He lasted just three innings, giving up three runs on five hits, including a pair of home runs, while striking out two and walking three. There are still likely concerns about his arm and elbow, but the Rockies are confident he is healthy and there is nothing to worry about. Still, there is hope that he can turn in a good start against his former team.

Lance Lynn hasn’t exactly been the best this season, but the Cardinals haven’t done much to support him on both sides of the baseball. He’s been better of late as he has allowed one earned run in his last 16 innings over three starts, but has given up seven unearned runs in the same stretch. Bad defense behind him has limited his effectiveness and continued to operate below expectations as a Cardinals team.

6/8: Ryan Feltner (1-5, 6.22 ERA) vs. Kyle Gibson (4-2, 3.69 ERA)

Brilliance as shown itself when Ryan Feltner takes the mound, but ugliness as also shown up more often than not. In his last two starts, Feltner has surrendered 15 runs including eight runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Reds at Coors Field. Multiple run innings continue to be his downfall as he has struggled to find consistent command of his arsenal. Strikeouts can play a big role for Feltner, but an inablility to harness that factor his of game has led to plenty of problems.

The Cardinals send another one of their veteran free agent signings in Kyle Gibson. The soft-tossing righty has been quite solid and effective as he hasn’t suffered a loss since April and has continued to wrack up a good amount of strikeouts in his 70 2/3 innings of work this year. The crafty veteran that can pitch rather than just throw could prove useful for the Cardinals to keep the Rockies in check.

6/9: Ty Blach (2-3, 4.54 ERA) vs. Andre Pallante (1-2, 6.16 ERA)

There are always two scenarios for Ty Blach that the Rockies could get. One option is that he could cruise through six innings having allowed just two runs or he could end up going five innings and allowing four or more runs. His starts have been somewhat competitive most of the time, but it’s hard to predict what will happen when he takes the mound. In his last start he gave up four runs on 10 hits over five innings against the Reds.

Andre Pallante just recently moved into the rotation for the Cardinals and it has been a mixed bag as he enters his third start. In his first start he blanked the Reds for six innings before giving up six runs in three innings against the Houston Astros. Rockies fans can’t help but feel like the starter is primed to look like a Cy Young candidate against the Rockies offense as has been the case for so many young pitchers this season.

He’s Heating Up

A major reason that the Cardinals has been struggling is that players like Nolan Arenado have not been their typcial selves this season. Entering Wednesday Arenado is batting .252/.306/.376 with six home runs in 58 games. Over his last seven games, however, he has shown some improving signs such as hitting three home runs. It’s still a far cry from what Arenado has been able to do in the past, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on a player in a revenge game, especially one that is starting to put some pieces back together at the plate.

Elias Diaz trade stock rising

One of the most valuable hitters for the Rockies this season has been their veteran catcher Elias Diaz. He has had multi-hit games in three of the last four contests, including going 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday’s loss. The veteran has 12 doubles, five home runs, 27 RBI and 20 runs scored in 2024 and ranks 13th in the majors with a .306 batting average. Thanks to the DH spot and the Jacob Stallings improvement at the plate, the Rockies have found more opportunities to keep Diaz in the lineup while keeping his body fresh. He remains a great trade chip should teams find themselves interested over the next month and a half.

INJURIES:

Cardinals: Lars Nootbaar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Nick Robertson: 15-Day IL (elbow), Riley O’Brien: 60-Day IL (forearm), Willson Contreras: 10-Day IL (arm), Giovanny Gallegos: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Tommy Edman: 60-Day IL (wrist), Steven Matz: 15-Day IL (back), Drew Rom: 60-Day IL (biceps), Keynan Middleton: 15-Day IL (forearm)

Rockies: Sean Bouchard: 10-Day IL (ankle), Kris Bryant: 10-Day IL (ribs), Justin Lawrence: 15-Day IL (arm), Jordan Beck: 10-Day IL (wrist), Kyle Freeland: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jake Bird: 15-Day IL (elbow), Lucas Gilbreath: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nolan Jones: 10-Day IL (back), Daniel Bard: 60-Day IL (knee), German Marquez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Antonio Senzatela: 60-Day IL (elbow)