The Colorado Rockies are currently on a two-game losing streak as they look to right the ship in Monday’s opening game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After opening the season with two-straight victories in Miami, the Rockies dropped their last two games against the Marlins. Offense was at a premium in Colorado’s last two games as they scored just three runs in their losses while scoring a combined 12 times in their two wins.

With the news of Daniel Murphy being placed on the injured list, the Rockies are left again searching for offense. Let’s dive into what to watch for as Colorado faces the Rays in an early season interleague battle.

Projected starters for the series:

April 1st — Colorado: Chad Bettis (First Start) vs. Tampa Bay: TBD

April 2nd — Colorado: Kyle Freeland (1-0, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1.29 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay: Blake Snell (0-1, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 7.50 ERA)

April 3rd — Colorado: German Marquez (1-0, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1.50 ERA)  vs. Tampa Bay: Charlie Morton (1-0, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, 3.60 ERA)

Will Colorado get it going again offensively?

After opening the season with two solid games on offense, the Rockies have struggled to score runs in each of their last two games. Scoring a combined three runs — with all of those coming in one game — the Rockies are going to have to score if they want to have success in Tampa.

With Murphy now out, expect Garrett Hampson and Mark Reynolds, who went 1-3 on Sunday, to fill in. Reynolds played first on Sunday, but Colorado could also go the route of having Ryan McMahon play there and Hampson at second base.

A positive note for the Rockies in Tampa is Tropicana Field is more of a hitters park then Marlins Park.

Through four games, David Dahl currently leads the Rockies in hitting with a .429 average, while Tony Wolters is also hitting at an identical clip. If Colorado continues to get that production from Dahl and Wolters, a big week from a mix of Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon or Trevor Story could be all the Rockies need to their offense going again.

How will Chad Bettis do in his first start of the season? 

In 27 games last season, Bettis finished 5-2 with an earned run average (ERA) of 5.01 to go along with 80 strikeouts. On Monday, Bettis will be making his first start of the season after he earned his spot as the Rockies fifth starter following a solid spring training.

The Rockies have showcased the potential of a tremendous pitching staff and if they are able to get a solid year out of Bettis as their fifth starter, they could be in for another successful season.

These are not your same old Tampa Bay Rays

Gone are the days of Evan Longoria running the show and the days of promising players like Austin Meadows, Kevin Kiermaier, and Tommy Pham have arrived.

Meadows has two home runs this season, while Pham is leading the team in average (.364) as both players have been huge in Tampa starting the season 3-1.

The Rockies will also have to face reigning American League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who got roughed up in his first outing this season. Nonetheless, it will be no cakewalk in Tampa as the Rockies face a more solidified baseball team than their opening foe.