Tovar's place in the lineup has been slipping lately -- he's started just five of the Rockies' last eight games, and in only one of the four games against right-handed starters in that span. The shortstop has gone 10-for-30 (.333) with three RBI over his last 12 contests, but that's been a brief bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year. Tovar is batting .213 with a .596 OPS, seven steals, 10 home runs, 41 RBI and 46 runs scored over 130 contests this season.

It's the third consecutive time that Tovar has been out of the lineup when the opposition has had a righty on the bump, in this case Andre Pallante. It's unclear whether Tovar has fallen into a short-side platoon, but it wouldn't be a surprise given his woeful .209/.256/.333 slash line. Cole Carrigg will handle shortstop for the Rockies in the series opener.