PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks and Rockies share a spring training facility and played each other 19 times this season.
They know each other very well.
Now comes game No. 20 on Wednesday night, the biggest one of them all, an NL wild-card matchup with Arizona’s Zack Greinke facing Colorado’s young Jon Gray.
"There is no secret here," said Bud Black, director of Rockies. "We know what they like to do, they know our players ... They know our trends, they know the trends of our drummers, they know the trends of our pitchers, and we know theirs.
It's a confrontation of franchises under the radar to the west of the National League that had seasons of change over the first year managers. The Rockies are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Diamondbacks have not been there since 2011. The game is sold at 48,686 Chase Field seats.
"A couple of guys wondered why the fans were not there earlier in the season and when they started to show up," said Arizona manager Torey Lovullo on Tuesday. "And I told them you always play the same type of baseball, they will support us.
"So we want to win, we know they are there, and I can not wait for what tomorrow brings to the crowd, noise and energy."
Here are some things to consider when the Rocky Mountains meet the Diamondbacks:
WILD ATMOSPHERE: Diamondbacks player, J.D. Martinez, enjoys the idea of playing in the energy environment of the win-take-all contest, but said that players can not be too caught up in the scene.
"It will be great, it's going to be fun," he said. "But at the same time, you have to control it, I think it's going to be the hardest thing for all of us, both sides, just controlling your environment and controlling your adrenaline, emotions and feelings, because all these things are going to be on a high ".
GREINKE'S ARM: Greinke (17-7, 3.20 ERA) will make his debut in the 10th round playoffs. His post-season record is 3 to 3 with an IEE of 3.55. He is 2-1 in five starts against Colorado with an EEE of 3.41 in 34 innings and a third.
The Diamondbacks signed Greinke to a six-year contract, $ 206.5 million before last season. This is just the situation in which they expect him to earn a little of that money.
"I feel good to do it," he said. "I feel very ready, all my pitches feel good, so I will do my best, we'll see how it is, but it will be the best thing I can do.
YOUNG ROCKY: The Rocky Mountain counter with the 25-year-old gray (10-4, 3.67), who said "it's very cool" to go against Greinke.
"Obviously, the guy has an excellent record," said Gray. "He's been a good pitcher for years, it's very exciting for me, he's a guy I was watching on TV, so it's very, very surreal."
The gray is 2-1 with an efficiency of 3.50 in three starts against the Diamondbacks. He did not allow more than three races in one of the races.
MARTINEZ SIZZLING, GOLDSCHMIDT SLUMPING: Dealing with Martinez could be a very difficult task. Acquired from Detroit before the market deadline, Martinez hit .302 with 29 leggings and 65 RBI in 62 games with Arizona. In September, he hit .404 with 16 games and 36 RBIs in 24 games.
But Paul Goldschmidt comes with the opposite performance on the stretch. The ever-present All-Star and the MVP candidate had a miserable Christmas month on the plate and entered the post-season in a fall of 0 to 17.
"It's not about me," he said. "We're just trying to win, so I'll go out and do my best, but it's not about me. You're going to fight during the times of the year, I did not play well last week , but that's why that is a team game. "
The Rockies bring a range of powerhouse with champion Charlie Blackmon (331, 37 home runs, 104 RBI), Nolan Arenado (.309, 37 leggings, 130 rides) and Carlos Gonzalez, season after a year uncharacteristic to the plaque.
But the total of one to eight of the striking order is dangerous.
Blackmon had only eight shots in 44 beats at Chase Field, but he likes to knock there.
"What I like most is that it has a very good weight. It's very big, bigger than most parks," he said. "It's good to see the ball, it behaves as well, the balls are big, the infield can be fast."
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They know each other very well.
Now comes game No. 20 on Wednesday night, the biggest one of them all, an NL wild-card matchup with Arizona’s Zack Greinke facing Colorado’s young Jon Gray.
"There is no secret here," said Bud Black, director of Rockies. "We know what they like to do, they know our players ... They know our trends, they know the trends of our drummers, they know the trends of our pitchers, and we know theirs.
It's a confrontation of franchises under the radar to the west of the National League that had seasons of change over the first year managers. The Rockies are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Diamondbacks have not been there since 2011. The game is sold at 48,686 Chase Field seats.
"A couple of guys wondered why the fans were not there earlier in the season and when they started to show up," said Arizona manager Torey Lovullo on Tuesday. "And I told them you always play the same type of baseball, they will support us.
"So we want to win, we know they are there, and I can not wait for what tomorrow brings to the crowd, noise and energy."
Here are some things to consider when the Rocky Mountains meet the Diamondbacks:
WILD ATMOSPHERE: Diamondbacks player, J.D. Martinez, enjoys the idea of playing in the energy environment of the win-take-all contest, but said that players can not be too caught up in the scene.
"It will be great, it's going to be fun," he said. "But at the same time, you have to control it, I think it's going to be the hardest thing for all of us, both sides, just controlling your environment and controlling your adrenaline, emotions and feelings, because all these things are going to be on a high ".
GREINKE'S ARM: Greinke (17-7, 3.20 ERA) will make his debut in the 10th round playoffs. His post-season record is 3 to 3 with an IEE of 3.55. He is 2-1 in five starts against Colorado with an EEE of 3.41 in 34 innings and a third.
The Diamondbacks signed Greinke to a six-year contract, $ 206.5 million before last season. This is just the situation in which they expect him to earn a little of that money.
"I feel good to do it," he said. "I feel very ready, all my pitches feel good, so I will do my best, we'll see how it is, but it will be the best thing I can do.
YOUNG ROCKY: The Rocky Mountain counter with the 25-year-old gray (10-4, 3.67), who said "it's very cool" to go against Greinke.
"Obviously, the guy has an excellent record," said Gray. "He's been a good pitcher for years, it's very exciting for me, he's a guy I was watching on TV, so it's very, very surreal."
The gray is 2-1 with an efficiency of 3.50 in three starts against the Diamondbacks. He did not allow more than three races in one of the races.
MARTINEZ SIZZLING, GOLDSCHMIDT SLUMPING: Dealing with Martinez could be a very difficult task. Acquired from Detroit before the market deadline, Martinez hit .302 with 29 leggings and 65 RBI in 62 games with Arizona. In September, he hit .404 with 16 games and 36 RBIs in 24 games.
But Paul Goldschmidt comes with the opposite performance on the stretch. The ever-present All-Star and the MVP candidate had a miserable Christmas month on the plate and entered the post-season in a fall of 0 to 17.
"It's not about me," he said. "We're just trying to win, so I'll go out and do my best, but it's not about me. You're going to fight during the times of the year, I did not play well last week , but that's why that is a team game. "
The Rockies bring a range of powerhouse with champion Charlie Blackmon (331, 37 home runs, 104 RBI), Nolan Arenado (.309, 37 leggings, 130 rides) and Carlos Gonzalez, season after a year uncharacteristic to the plaque.
But the total of one to eight of the striking order is dangerous.
Blackmon had only eight shots in 44 beats at Chase Field, but he likes to knock there.
"What I like most is that it has a very good weight. It's very big, bigger than most parks," he said. "It's good to see the ball, it behaves as well, the balls are big, the infield can be fast."
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