Randall Delgado seeks to bounce back from his shortest start of the season as he takes the mound on Sunday afternoon for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game set versus the Colorado Rockies.
Delgado, whose earned run average stood at 2.85 at the end of July, is winless in his last seven starts. He is 0-3 with a 5.31 earned run average in that span and gave up four homers over 2 2/3 innings in a setback to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. The righty was charged with five runs on seven hits and a walk.
The 23-year-old righty is 4-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 17 games this season, all but one of those starts, and will face the Rockies for the first time.
Jhoulys Chacin has been headed in the opposite direction as he has given up three runs or fewer in 11 of his last 12 games and is 13-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 28 starts.
Like Delgado, the righty struggled in a loss to the Dodgers on Sept. 3, giving up four runs over seven innings. Chacin was able to recover on Monday in a no- decision against San Francisco, holding the Giants to a run on four hits and one walk in another seven frames of work.
Chacin, 25, is 4-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 12 career games (11 starts) versus the Diamondbacks.
Sunday will officially kick off the retirement tour of Rockies slugger Todd Helton, who announced on Saturday night that he will retire at season's end. Helton is set to wrap up his 17th campaign, all with Colorado.
"For seventeen years number '17' has been the icon of Colorado Rockies baseball," said Rockies owner and chief executive officer Dick Monfort in a release. "Todd will be missed and our hope is he will be a part of our Colorado baseball family for many more years to come. Thanks Todd!"
The 40-yer-old Helton is a career .317 hitter and has posted 586 doubles, 367 homers, 1,394 runs scored and 1,397 RBI in 2,235 games, all highs for the Colorado franchise.
Helton's announcement came after the Rockies dropped a 9-2 contest on Saturday night.
Aaron Hill and Gerardo Parra drove in three runs each for the D'backs, who won for the second time in six games.
Wade Miley allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings to win for the first time in over a month. He also had a pair of hits and drove in a run.
"It's awesome to finally get that win, but it was a good team win," Miley said. "For me, it was just location and they were swinging early and putting the ball in play. The defense made the plays tonight."
In his first start since injuring his hamstring on July 7, Roy Oswalt was touched for two runs on seven hits across 4 2/3 innings.
"I haven't really thought past tomorrow," said Oswalt, who fell to 0-6. "Like I said, I try to go day to day. Sometimes you get a little too far out in front. Something happens and you never know, really. This is probably one of the best front offices I've played for. The front office believes in its players and stands behind them. I'm just like to come in tomorrow and feel good and make it to the next start."
Helton and Nolan Arenado each drove in a run for the Rockies, who have only won two of their last eight.
The Diamondbacks swept a three-game set at home versus the Rockies in the previous meeting from July 5-7 and have won seven of nine over Colorado in Arizona this year.
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