Rockies vs A's Preview: Sunday Showdown at The Coliseum

Colorado comes into Las Vegas riding a two-game losing streak. The Rockies sit at 26-44, already dealing with major injuries. Brenton Doyle won't play. Jake McCarthy is still sick. That leaves huge gaps in the lineup. But here's the thing—they beat the Athletics 4-6 just yesterday, and that game had some serious fireworks. The Rockies scored with Troy Johnston's sacrifice fly and Cole Carrigg's blast that cleared the right-center wall. Now they get another shot at Oakland on Sunday. Tomoyuki Sugano takes the mound for Colorado. He's been solid this season with a 3.91 ERA.

Oakland is winning right now. The Athletics have won three straight games and sit at 34-35 overall. That victory yesterday—with home runs flying everywhere—has them feeling confident. Langeliers rocketed a ball 450 feet to center. Kurtz followed with his own blast that went 471 feet to right-center. The Athletics scored in the fifth and sixth innings, then kept finding ways to add runs. Jeffrey Springs gets the ball for Oakland on Sunday. He's posted a 6.24 ERA this year, so he'll need to lock it down. The Athletics are working without Brent Rooker, who's dealing with a knee injury. That's a big bat missing from the lineup.

Here's where Sunday's game gets interesting. Sugano brings experience and a 1.0 record to the mound. Springs is coming off a tough stretch with that 6.24 ERA. The difference between these two arms could decide everything. If Sugano can throw strikes and avoid the long ball, Colorado has a real chance. Springs needs to find his command and keep Oakland's hitters from padding their lead. Yesterday's game showed us both teams can score in bunches. The Rockies aren't giving up even with injuries. The Athletics smell blood after their hot streak. Whoever's pitching better on Sunday wins this matchup. It's that simple.