Bronson Arroyo – Cincinnati Reds – I think the most important note when dealing with Arroyo tonight is that he’s pitching on just three days rest and he did throw 115 pitches last Saturday night.  I blogged earlier this season in dealing with the right-hander’s velocity. Largely, Arroyo’s been pitching at 88-MPH this season instead of his customary 91.  The slight decrease just doesn’t give him enough separation on his off-speed stuff.  Well, Arroyo recently went back to work.  Meaning, he mixed his workouts up to include work in the swimming pool to help strengthen his shoulder in hoping his ‘pop’ on his heater would come back.  To some degree, this has helped and maybe more so from a confidence perspective.  Frankly, now having him return on short rest with ‘strength’ and ‘velocity’ issues is enormously curious in the least.  Note Arroyo is now just 15-27 since the 2006 All-Star break.  The bottom line is Arroyo is pitching on short rest with questionable stamina to begin with.  His ERA is over seven and his flyball ways simply don’t match-up with his home park or the home run hitting Marlins.  Give a long look to the OVER or against the Reds tonight.  In addition, Reds closer Francisco Cordero has pitched the last two days and three of the last four. 

Jorge De La Rosa – Colorado Rockies – The well-traveled De La Rosa now finds himself with the Rockies, while spending time with the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals organization.  With De La Rosa it’s all about command or lack of.  No one will question his stuff as he keeps garnering opportunities around the league.  He deals a slider, change, fastball and hard curve.  Again, the problem is knowing where it’s going.  Before the season started, the southpaw has walked an amazing 160 batters in 274 major league innings.  It would seem that pitching in Colorado with this kind of a walk rate would kill any chance of success.  Well, he’s pitching in another tough pitching venue tonight in Arizona with the roof open.  In addition, the Diamondbacks should virtually enter this game with maybe one left-handed bat in the line-up.  In De La Rosa’s career he’s held ‘hook’ bats to just a .363 slugging percentage, but that number leaps to .502 against the right-handed bat.  The Baby Backs should be able to plate their fair share of runs in this one.