twins/mlb

Cincinnati Reds (58-40) at Colorado Rockies (37-60), 8:40 p.m.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Bronson Arroyo (5-6, 3.98) Colorado - Drew Pomeranz (1-5, 4.98)

(Sports Network) - The Cincinnati Reds seek to extend their longest winning streak in two seasons when they face the Colorado Rockies Friday in the first of three games at Coors Field.

Cincinnati won their seventh straight game and improved to 11-2 since the All- Star break with a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Drew Stubbs knocked in a pair of runs in the ninth inning of that one as the Reds completed a three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park.

Stubbs, who has seven hits, five RBI and two stolen bases over the last three games, finished with three RBI and two runs scored to help the NL Central- leading Reds earn their sixth consecutive road win as well.

"Drew Stubbs comes through big again," said Reds manager Dusty Baker. "That was a huge clutch hit, probably even bigger than [Tuesday] night."

Sean Marshall (3-3) earned the victory after recording the final out of the eighth, while Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth and recorded his 19th save of the season.

Hoping to pitch the Reds to their first eight-game winning streak since May 31-June 8, 2006 tonight will be righty Bronson Arroyo, who has won two of his last three starts. Arroyo beat the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, holding them to two runs and five hits in six innings to run his record to 5-6 while lowering his earned run average to 3.98.

In Arroyo's past 10 outings, he has held opponents to three runs or fewer six times. As a whole the Reds' starting staff ranks fifth in the NL with a 3.64 ERA.

"I feel like I'm the weakest link in the rotation right now," said Arroyo, who has made 19 starts this season. "Everybody is looking really, really strong all the time. That being said, I feel like I've thrown pretty good about 16 times. It just means that we've got a pretty good rotation, and hopefully it continues."

Arroyo has faced the Rockies 11 times (9 starts) and is 2-3 with a 5.60 ERA against them.

Getting the call for the Rockies tonight will be lefty Drew Pomeranz, who is a miserable 1-5 with a 4.98 ERA on the season. The young hurler lost for the fourth time in five starts last Friday in San Diego and looked bad in doing so, as he was hit for seven runs in just three innings.

Pomeranz, who beat the Reds the only other time he faced them, has been experiencing some arm soreness of late as well and was given an extra few days to recover.

"We just want to get him back out there pitching. That's how he is going to learn," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "We wanted to make sure that physically nothing is wrong and get him back out there. On Friday, it will have been a week."

The Rockies enter tonight's opener on a high note after salvaging the finale of their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Marco Scutaro knocked in three runs and Dexter Fowler went 3-for-5 and scored twice in the 4-2 win.

Jeff Francis (3-2) pitched six-plus effective innings for Colorado to earn his first victory since July 3. The lefty allowed five hits, including solo homers to Jason Kubel and Miguel Montero, and had four strikeouts.

"Other than the two pitches I gave the homers up, I thought I executed well," Francis said. "The guys made some good plays behind me."

Cincinnati took two of three from the Rockies at Great American Ball Park earlier in the year.