COMING UP FLAT

By Mark Simon, ESPN Research

Whatever magic the Rockies had going at the end of the 2007 season has disappeared into the Coors Field air. The Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Rockies, winning in extra innings on Sunday, to cap a disastrous week for Colorado.

MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL

• Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Something seems to have gotten into the Rockies' bats, as the team has been inept through its first six games, scoring just 10 runs. The Rockies have been particularly pathetic with runners in scoring position, hitting a lowly .100 thus far.

Next up for Colorado will be a four-game series against the Braves beginning on Monday, and the Rockies will need to turn it around offensively. Atlanta has always hit well against Colorado, batting better than .300 against Rockies pitching in each of the last five seasons. The Rockies will be hard-pressed to try to match that.

ON THE ROCKS
The Rockies in 2008:
Team batting average	.209
Team batting average with runners in scoring position	.100*
Runs/game	1.7
Matt Holliday/Brad Hawpe/Troy Tulowitzki combined batting average	.194
Team ERA	4.92
* Five hits in 50 at-bats

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: April 3 | April 2 | April 1 | March 31 | March 30

FORWARD THINKING: MONDAY

• Phillies at Reds, 12:35 p.m. ET: Cole Hamels (0-1, 1.13) will get the start for the Phillies. The left-hander had a 4.26 ERA in day games last season, compared to 3.11 at night. The Reds will counter with Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 3.60). He made 34 starts last season, and not one of them was against the Phillies.

• Braves at Rockies, 8:35 p.m. ET: Tom Glavine (0-0, 1.80) will get the nod for the Braves. He has a career 3.97 ERA in 12 starts at Coors Field. Aaron Cook (0-0, 1.80) will counter for the Rockies. He compiled a 5.31 ERA in 12 starts at home last season.

• Indians at Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET: Fausto Carmona (1-0, 1.29) will make his second start of the season for the Indians. He'll be opposed by Joe Saunders (1-0, 0.00), who tossed eight shutout innings in his first start of the year against the Twins.

• Complete list of pitching probables for Monday's games

NEWS AND NOTES

• Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 594th home run of his career -- a two-run shot in the first inning -- in the Reds' 8-2 victory over the Phillies. Griffey is now six homers shy of becoming the sixth player in major league history to reach 600 homers. Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa are the five players already in the 600 Club.

THIS DATE IN MLB HISTORY (APRIL 7)

• 1958: The Dodgers erected a 42-foot screen in left field at the Los Angeles Coliseum to cut down on home runs. Left field was only 250 feet down the left-field line.

• 1979: In the earliest no-hitter in major league history, the Astros' Ken Forsch shut down the Braves 6-0. Together with Bob Forsch, who hurled a no-hitter in 1978, the brothers became the first to pitch no-hit games.

• 1984: The Tigers' Jack Morris no-hit the White Sox 4-0 at Comiskey Park, walking six and striking out eight.

• 2000: The Devil Rays retired uniform No. 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman spent just two years with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise's first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-hit club as a member of the team.