Colorado Rockies vs Atlanta Braves Picks and Predictions August 9th 2024

There does appear to be a chance of light rain in Denver on Friday, where the Rockies and Braves face off at Coors Field. First pitch is set for 8:40 PM ET. BSSE will be televising this matchup, and the Braves are the heavy favorites on the money line (-165).

Friday’s over/under line is at 10.5 runs, and the Rockies will be looking to pull off the upset at +139. They are 5th in the NL West, while the Braves are 3rd in the NL East with a record of 60-54. Atlanta is currently on a five-game losing streak. Friday’s pitching matchup features Grant Holmes for the Braves and Tanner Gordon for the Rockies.

Atlanta vs. Colorado Key Information

Right-hander Grant Holmes gets the start for the Braves today as he faces the Rockies on the road. He has made two starts and 12 appearances this season, finishing with a no-decision in each of his last four outings. In his most recent outing, he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up three earned runs, a homer, and seven hits to the Marlins. Opponents are batting .214 off Holmes this season, and his ERA is 3.00 with a WHIP of 1.00. For the year, he has allowed two homers and is averaging 9 strikeouts per nine innings compared to just 1.64 walks.

Marcell Ozuna comes into the game as the Braves’ top hitter this season, with a batting average of .299 to go along with a league-leading 88 RBIs and 33 homers, which is also 3rd in the MLB. However, he has gone just 5/22 in his last six games. Matt Olson is 2nd on the team with 18 homers but is batting just .227 for the season.

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Over the past six games, Austin Riley has been hot for the Braves, going 9/23 with two homers and seven RBIs. He is also on a four-game hitting streak. As a team, the Braves are 20th in scoring at 4.2 runs per game and are batting a collective .239.

Colorado’s Tanner Gordon is set to make his 4th start of the season, and he will be at home against the Braves. Gordon has gone 6 innings in each of his first 3 starts, and he is coming off a no-decision against the Padres, where he allowed 1 run on 1 hit. In his first start of the season, he took the loss against the Giants, giving up 4 earned runs.

Colorado’s offense has been a bit below average this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. However, they have been a much better offensive team at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game. The Rockies are also one of the league’s top home run hitting teams, with a team total of 129 homers.

Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and center fielder Brenton Doyle come into the game tied for the team lead in home runs, with 19 apiece. Doyle is also the Rockies’ leader in RBIs, with 56. Tovar is hitting .282 for the season, while Doyle comes in at .261. Tovar is also on a three-game hitting streak, as is Brendan Rodgers, who is hitting .400 over his last eight games.

Today’s Braves vs. Rockies game is our 2nd highest projected scoring game of the day, and our lean would be to the over. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Rockies to pick up the win. Colorado’s offense has the highest team home run projection in the league today, and Tanner Gordon is our 5th ranked starting pitcher in terms of innings pitched.

Braves Look to End Skid Against Rockies in Crucial Series

Simply seven days prior, the Atlanta Braves were enjoying some real success, having won six out of seven games and supported their arrangement with the expansion of 2021 Worldwide championship MVP Jorge Soler from the San Francisco Monsters at the exchange cutoff time. In any case, the energy has in short order moved as the Braves presently wind up on a five-game long string of failures, featured by a series clear at home by the Milwaukee Brewers. This abrupt slump has imperiled their season finisher trusts as well as raised worries about the group’s pitching and generally speaking execution.

The Braves’ New Battles

The Braves’ ongoing five-game pallet has been set apart by uniquely unfortunate pitching and conflicting offense. Subsequent to standing firm on a promising foothold in the National League standings a little more than seven days prior, the Braves have slipped to 8 1/2 games behind in the NL East and are presently following by a portion of a game in the special case race.

“That is the means by which fast it can change,” Braves director Brian Snitker commented following the group’s 16-7 misfortune to the Brewers on Thursday. “That is the reason you underestimate take nothing. I continue to say, ‘Ideally we’ll turn it around.'”

The numbers paint a troubling picture: Atlanta’s pitching staff has permitted a stunning 45 runs during the five-game series of failures. In the mean time, the offense has attempted to redress, being closed out two times in back to back games prior to dealing with a sum of only 12 runs over the beyond two games. The group’s powerlessness to perform reliably on the two sides of the ball has been the essential figure their new downturn.

Grant Holmes Takes the Mound

In an effort to stop the bleeding, the Braves will send rookie right-hander Grant Holmes to the mound on Friday night as they begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. Holmes, who has a 3.00 ERA, will be making his third start after beginning his major league career with 10 relief appearances. As a starter, Holmes has posted a respectable 3.72 ERA, and he will be looking to secure his first win in this role. His most recent outing saw him give up three runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in a narrow 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.

Holmes, a 28-year-old native of South Carolina, will be facing the Rockies for the first time in his career. His ability to adapt quickly to the starter’s role will be crucial if the Braves are to end their losing streak and regain some of the momentum they had just a week ago.

Rockies Turn to Tanner Gordon

The Colorado Rockies will counter with Tanner Gordon, another rookie right-hander, who is still in search of his first major league win. Gordon, who made his debut on July 7 against the Kansas City Royals, has struggled to find consistency in his first few starts, posting an 0-3 record with a 6.75 ERA. Despite these struggles, Gordon has shown flashes of potential and will look to capitalize on Atlanta’s recent woes to secure a victory for Colorado.

The Rockies have had their own share of difficulties this season, particularly with injuries decimating their pitching staff. German Marquez, who had just returned from Tommy John surgery, has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to a stress reaction in his pitching elbow. Additionally, Ryan Feltner was placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness, and long reliever Peter Lambert is nursing a thumb injury that could sideline him as well.

“Bullet off the thumb of his glove hand ballooned up as the outing went on,” Rockies manager Bud Black explained following Thursday’s 9-1 loss to the New York Mets. “Peter caught the ball gingerly every time he got the ball back from the catcher, and it was becoming a distraction to pitch. Took X-rays that were negative, but it’s severely bruised and it hurts.”

Colorado’s Bullpen in Flux

The Rockies’ warm up area has been heavily taxed in late games, having been compelled to pitch 14 innings over the last two trips. To address this, the team recalled Riley Half quart from Triple-An Albuquerque, and he gave some alleviation by throwing a scoreless inning on Thursday. In any case, with the warm up area already extended slender, the Rockies will require strong performances from their starters, including Gordon, to avoid further strain.

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Optimistically, Black was able to rest a portion of his vital relievers — Justin Lawrence, Tyler Kinley, and Victor Vodnik — so they ought to be available for the start of the series against Atlanta. This will be crucial as the Rockies hope to take advantage of a Braves team that is at present faltering.

A Pivotal Series Ahead

As the Braves head into this series against the Rockies, they are desperate to turn their fortunes around. The strain is mounting as the playoff race strengthens, and each game from this point forward carries significant weight. For the Rockies, this series addresses a potential chance to play spoiler and conceivably secure some morale-supporting successes against a team that is battling to stay in conflict.

The matchup among Holmes and Gordon, both new kid on the block pitchers attempting to make their mark, adds an extra layer of interest to this series opener. For Atlanta, a solid trip from Holmes could be the way to finishing their terrible streak and refocusing, while Colorado will trust that Gordon can adapt to the situation and assist his team with capitalizing on the Braves’ new battles.