The Colorado Rockies are about to start a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a notable lineup decision involving Ezequiel Tovar .
He's not in the lineup.
Cole Carrigg will be handling the shortstop position and batting fifth against the Cardinals right-hander, Andre Pallante .
Friday night's game will be the third consecutive time Tovar has been left off the card when the Rockies have faced a right-handed pitcher. During that span, he has started twice against lefties.
Tovar is struggling . His slash line is just .209/.256/.333, and this story will be one to watch over the final weeks.
Colorado Rockies left fielder Jake McCarthy Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jake McCarthy , CF
Mickey Moniak , RF
Hunter Goodman , C
TJ Rumfield, 1B
Cole Carrigg, SS
Troy Johnston , DH
Adael Amador , 2B
Zac Veen , LF
Starting pitcher: Ryan Feltner
The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown out at Coors Field at 6:40 p.m. MT. Feltner is coming in with a 5-9 record, a 5.84 ERA, and 76 strikeouts. Pallante is 12-6 with a 3.57 ERA and 97 strikeouts.
Colorado took the Baltimore Orioles to extra innings on Wednesday evening to finish off that series in dramatic fashion. They went into the ninth inning behind 3-2 before tying the game.
In the 11th, they found themselves down by two yet again, but Colorado didn't give up. The team came together and found a way to win.
Rumfield and Amador helped to set the table for Brett Sullivan , who came up and delivered a two-out, two-run single. That gave the Rockies a 6-5 walk-off victory.
Cole Carrigg finished with three hits. McCarthy, Rumfield, and Amador each recorded two hits. Tomoyuki Sugano allowed three runs over six innings.
Wednesday night gave the Rockies two consecutive wins and improved their record to 54-86. They are going to try to carry that momentum into the series with the Cardinals.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The most interesting part of the lineup on Friday could be Tovar's absence.
He's been a fixture at the shortstop position in Colorado's recent seasons, but as this team grows, changes have to be made. Tovar's offense, or lack thereof, is getting hard to ignore.
It's much too early to say that Tovar is a platoon player, but it is worth noting that his .589 OPS is a significant drop compared to other young players.
Carrigg gives Colorado another option at shortstop and could be putting pressure on Tovar for his job.
Feltner is going to have his hands full with St. Louis' lineup that features several left-handers near the top. Bryan Torres leads off, Alec Burleson bats third, and then Nolan Gorman will be seventh. Feltner is carrying a 5.84 ERA as he goes to the mound of Friday. He is going to need to limit the traffic on base.
Goodman remains the powerhouse of the Rockies. He will walk to the box with a slash line of .252/.318/.537, a .855 OPS and 36 home runs.
Goodman hits third on Friday behind McCarthy and Moniak, which will give him an opportunity to do some damage if either or both get on base.
Colorado Rockies left fielder Jake McCarthy Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Two lefties at the top of the lineup. McCarthy has been one of Colorado's most productive hitters. He has a slash line of .292/.333/.481 and a .815 OPS before Friday's game. Moniak has supplied more power, with 21 home runs and a .500 slugging percentage.
If those two can create pressure early, then Goodman and Rumfield can turn opportunity into runs.
Shortstop will be the position to watch until the end of the season, and maybe longer. What started as an occasional day off, is now looking like something to pay attention to.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rockies/onsi as Rockies Make Notable Ezequiel Tovar Lineup Decision vs. Cardinals .
