Drew Pomeranz shoots for his first victory in nearly three months on Wednesday evening as the Colorado Rockies resume a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs.
Pomeranz has gone 0-6 in 13 start since his last victory on July 6, going the required five innings to even be eligible for a win just three times in that span. He has struggled at times with his control, forcing him out early due to the club's 75-pitch limit for its starters.
That was the case for the 23-year-old southpaw on Friday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks as he yielded four runs on four hits and five walks over three innings. He did not factor into a 15-5 loss.
"Drew Pomeranz did not throw strikes. We went to the fourth inning tied at four. We got the first two guys out on six or seven pitches, and they ended up batting around and scoring four runs. That's going to take a lot of air out of your balloon, believe me," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said.
Pomeranz sits just 1-9 with a 5.30 earned run average in 20 starts this season and is winless in 10 outings at home. He is 0-5 with a 5.44 ERA in 10 starts at Coors Field this season.
He faced the Cubs for the first time in his career on Aug. 24, giving up two solo homers over five innings without a decision.
Chicago counter's with 28-year-old Jason Berken, who makes his third start since being acquired off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles in early September.
Berken struggled in his Cubs debut on Sept. 15, touched for six runs -- two earned -- over four innings of a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The righty, though, was much improved on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, yielding two hits and a pair of walks over six scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
"For me, it's just a matter of stringing together a couple more good starts and going into the offseason on a positive note," said Berken, who did not get a decision and faces the Rockies for the first time in his career tonight.
The Rockies earned a 10-5 victory in an opener on Tuesday that was shortened to seven innings due to rain.
Matt McBride hit a three-run homer, while both Josh Rutledge and Tyler Colvin both drove in a pair of runs. DJ LeMahieu finished a home run shy of the cycle, drove in a run and scored twice for the Rockies, who have won two straight games after dropping nine in a row.
"The job that our young kids are doing offensively is ... beyond impressive," said Tracy.
Dave Sappelt hit his first career home run for the Cubs, who have dropped three straight and seven of their last eight games.
"We came out swinging the bats really well," said Cubs manager Dale Sveum. "Obviously we couldn't get them to make any soft contact, that's for sure."
Chris Rusin made his sixth major league start and was charged with six runs on seven hits before departing with runners on second and third and two down in the fourth inning.
The Cubs took two of three over the Rockies at home from Aug. 24-26.
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