Today's Match Up: Milwaukee (Marcum) at Colorado (Cook)

The Brewers try to salvage a split in this, the final game of a four game series.

The Rockies will be sending righty Aaron Cook (0-4, 5.82) to try and fry up a win.  Cook has been in the big leagues with the Rockies since 2002, and has always been a fairly middling pitcher.  In 2011, his 3.99 FIP is much better than his ERA, a product of an extremely low 0.26 HR/9.  His xFIP is 4.51.  Cook has never been a strikeout pitcher and, for the first time since 2002, his BB/9 (3.71) is higher than his K/9 (3.44).  He doesn't have the greatest "stuff", but he's a good groundball pitcher and has helped solidify the Rockies rotation at the back end his entire career. 

Cook will throw an 88 MPH sinker over half the time while working in an 84 MPH slider, an 88 MPH two seamer, and a 72 MPH curveball.  Fangraphs has his slider and curve very slightly above average this year, with his fastballs below average.  Over his career, Cook's fastballs have been his only positive value pitch, though.

Cook has faced six current Brewers at least ten times.  Here is how they have fared:

By now, I think most of us know about Shaun Marcum (7-3, 3.39) and what he has done this season, compiling a 3.56 FIP, and 8.14 K/9 and a 2.66 BB/9.   Marcum has thus far been everything the Brewers could have asked for and more after they traded away top prospect Brett Lawrie to the Blue Jays for the pitcher.  He has struggled some in his last three games, though, pitching just 5, 6, and 6 innings and maintaining a 5.82 ERA over that time.  Over his career, Marcum has been a run worse after the all star break than before.  Pre-ASG, he has a career 3.36 ERA.  Post-ASG, he has a career 4.34 ERA. 

Marcum has faced three current Rockies at least ten times.  Here is how they have fared:

Still no line ups out today, though it seems as though Ryan Braun likely won't be starting.

And in the bullpen:

John Axford pitched 1 inning (7 pitches) Friday and 1 innings (12 pitches) yesterday.
Francisco Rodriguez pitched 1 inning (10 pitches) yesterday.
Kameron Loe pitched 0.2 innings (6 pitches) yesterday
LaTroy Hawkins pitched 0.1 innings (8 pitches) yesterday.
Takashi Saito pitched 1 inning (21 pitches) Friday.
Marco Estrada pitched 2 innings (37 pitches) Thursday.
Tim Dillard exists.

Don't forget to prognostikeg!