Surprise, surprise! Cold weather hits Colorado

DENVER -- Anyone surprised by the fact inclement weather has hit the National League Championship Series games in Denver should take a closer look at the Colorado Rockies’ logo.

Yep, that’s snow atop that purple Rocky Mountains peak. And that was also snow falling in the Denver suburbs Sunday, about a 20-minute drive from Coors Field.

Sunday’s game, meanwhile, started under gray 43-degree skies with a wind chill just above freezing and a persistent rain that had the umpires calling the grounds crew out to place an absorbent material on the infield between innings.

“It will be a different game, obviously, than if it was warm and no rain,” said Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday, whose first-inning homer through the heavy skies gave the Rockies a quick lead. “Any time you’re playing in 40 degrees and rain it’s going to be different than, say, sunny and 75.

“I think it probably favors the pitchers. Any time it’s cold, hitters’ hands are cold. It’s not a good feeling.”

For the Diamondbacks, who play their home games in the middle of a desert, the biggest challenge was trying to ignore the elements.

“You can’t really think about all that,” said outfielder Chris Young, who wore shorts Sunday afternoon despite the bone-chilling weather. “Obviously we’ll have to wear a couple more layers than normal.

“But after you get out there, get moving, it will be fine. Just go out there, have a good time and compete and not think about it.”

The forecast for tonight’s game is only slightly better, calling for no rain but temperatures around 50 degrees -- something the Rockies hope will give them a home-field advantage

“Yeah it’s a little different,” shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. “Go to Arizona, nice weather, and then come here and it’s cold. Hopefully they’re not used to it and it plays in our favor.”

With their 4-1 win Sunday, the Rockies are 40-15 record at Coors Field since June 2, a baseball-best .727 winning percentage. And Colorado has gone 14-2-2 in its last 18 series at home, a bad sign for the Diamondbacks, who must win the next two games in Denver to avoid elimination.

Including the postseason, the division rival Rockies and Diamondbacks have met 21 times this season. But neither of Game 4’s scheduled starters -- Arizona’s Micah Owings and the Rockies’ Franklin Morales -- have pitched in any of those games, so hitters on both sides are likely to have a few uncomfortable at-bats tonight.

“From my history as a hitting coach, when you haven’t seen a pitcher before sometimes it can present some complications,” Colorado Manager Clint Hurdle said.

Owings, a 25-year-old right-hander, is the more experienced of the two rookies, having made 27 starts this season while Morales spent most of the summer at double-A Tulsa, where he lost four of seven decisions. But Owings hasn’t pitched against major league hitters in 18 days while Morales made a rocky three-inning outing against the Phillies in the division series, a start he now considers a learning experience.

“I’m just going to worry about concentrating,” said the 21-year-old left-hander, who said he lost focus midway through the Philadelphia game.

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kevin.baxter@latimes.com