The last time Colorado right-hander Antonio Senzatela pitched, Aug. 1, his start lasted less than an inning. The next day he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, but plans call for him to be back when the Rockies wrap up a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in Denver.
Senzatela (4-14, 7.34 ERA) is expected to be activated from the IL to make his 22nd season start of the season. Nabil Crismatt will make his first appearance of 2025 — and first as a member of the Diamondbacks — and just the second start of his career to go with 113 relief appearances.
The Rockies have won the past two games after dropping the series opener on Thursday night. Saturday night they scored six times in the eighth to rally for a 10-7 win.
Senzatela has struggled most of the season, but things seemed to turn around when he beat the Minnesota Twins with seven solid innings on July 19. But in his next two starts, he gave up a total of 14 runs over 4 2/3 innings.
Sunday will mark Senzatela’s 24th appearance and 20th start against Arizona, a team he has faced more than any other in his career. He is 4-9 with a 5.61 ERA against the Diamondbacks.
Colorado has won four of its past five games after an eight-game losing streak, and Hunter Goodman has been a big reason why. The 25-year-old All-Star catcher has hit safely in 11 of 13 games this month, and six hits were home runs.
He blasted a 449-foot homer in Friday night’s 4-3 win, and he leads the Rockies with 25 home runs.
“He hits the ball a long way,” Colorado interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s just a strong guy that is having a really good year. His timing is very good. He doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down late in the year, which is a very good thing for him, catching as much as he has for the first time in his career.”
Crismatt, like Senzatela, has faced Sunday’s opponent more than any other in his career. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in 15 relief appearances against the Rockies.
Crismatt’s only major league start came while pitching for San Diego on April 10, 2022. The Diamondbacks signed him to a minor league deal a week ago after his release from the Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 19 games for Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate, Lehigh Valley.
Crismatt pitched two scoreless innings for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, Reno, before getting the nod to start Sunday in place of Anthony DeSclafani, who was put on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right thumb.
The Diamondbacks came to Denver with a chance to strengthen their chances for an NL wild-card berth but have lost two games after winning 8-2 on Thursday night. They are 5 1/2 games out of the NL’s third and final wild-card spot.
“It’s a hard league, and there are no gimmes here,” Arizona outfielder Jake McCarthy said. “Obviously, we want to keep climbing [in the standings].”