2020 Series Preview: Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros

Rockies Quick Notes

The Rockies will head to Houston in the middle of a rather tumultuous fall from the top of the NL West to second. After starting the season with an MLB-best 11-3 record, they have lost 5 of their last 7 games to fall to second place in their division. This puts them south of the Dodgers, which is a tough position to be in for any team.

Getting off to a hot start helped shield the team from suffering too much of a fall this past week, but in a shortened season the effects of such a skid can feel out sized. Thankfully for the Rockies, the expanded playoff format keeps them in the driver seat for a spot in October.

The Rockies’ offense was on full display in yesterday’s 10-6 win over the Rangers and has been a calling card for them all season. The charge is being led by Charlie Blackmon, who’s batting average was sitting around .500 before an 0-for-11 streak brought him down to a more terrestrial .446. He also leads the team with 22 RBI.

Trevor Story is also swinging a hot bat in 2020, slashing .326/.396/.616 in his 21 games this year. He is tied with Nolan Arenado for most home runs on the club as both are sitting at 6.

As I said, the Rockies aren’t having trouble hitting the ball. They have five players with a BA over .300 and 7 with the same OBP. Nolan Arenado, who is usually the trend setter for the Rockies’ offense, is not in either one of those categories, though he’s not far off.

As per usual, the team has better splits at home rather than on the road, but the offense is still no joke and the Astros will need to work carefully around them.

While not the most dominant in the league, Colorado’s bullpen has been doing some good work this season. They sport a back end that seems to feature Jairo Diaz, Carlos Estevaz, Yency Almonte, and Daniel Bard for the most part.

Of all active players Diaz, who has a 3.12 ERA, has received the ball the most in save situations for the team, but Estevez, Bard, and Almonte have all seen work closing games. This is due to the Rockies working in more of a closer by committee situation since Wade Davis went on the IL with an injury.

Daniel Bard is probably the biggest story out of Colorado’s bullpen though. Before this season his last game in the majors was in 2013 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. He played in just 2 games that season before suffering from a years-long case of the yips. Eventually he worked his way back to the majors, returning this year after a 7-year absence from the big leagues.

As far as the Rockies’ rotation goes, the Astros will face off against a lefty starter followed by three righties. Kyle Freeland is the lefty and first up in the rotation. He’s off to a good start in 4 games this season, pitching to a 2.45 ERA in 25.2 innings. Freeland is a ground ball pitcher so he has an edge on any batters swinging for the Astros’ short left porch.

Antonio Senzeatela is next up for the Rox and has also gotten off to a pretty good start to the season. He did have some issues in his last game, but those were mostly caused by defensive miscues in a single inning. Beyond that he’s been a steady force for Colorado.

The Rockiers haven’t announced their starters for when the teams return to Denver, but the last time through the rotation these slots featured Ryan Castellani and German Marquez. Castellani made his MLB debut just a scant two starts ago and has looked sharp in 8.2 innings. He struck out ten in those frames, but didn’t go long enough to be eligible for a win in either of his 2 games.

Meanwhile, Marquez is almost the old man of the rotation, having made his debut in 2016. He’s off to one of his better starts this season with a 2.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 5 starts. He also has 30 strikeouts across 32 IP.

For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure

Game 1: Monday, August 17th @ 8:10 pm CDT
Listen: Rockies - KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, La Ranchera 101.7 FM/850 AM
Watch: Rockies - ATT SportsNet-RM / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW

Game 2: Tuesday, August 18th @ 2:10 pm CDT
Listen: Rockies - KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM / Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, La Ranchera 101.7 FM/850 AM
Watch: Rockies - ATT SportsNet-RM / Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW+ / MLBN (out-of-market only)

Game 3: Wednesday, August 19th @ 7:40 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, La Ranchera 101.7 FM/850 AM / Rockies - KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM, KNRV 1150
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW / Rockies - ATT SportsNet-RM

Game 4: Thursday, August 20th @ 2:10 pm CDT
Listen: Astros - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, La Ranchera 101.7 FM/850 AM / Rockies - KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM, KNRV 1150
Watch: Astros - ATT SportsNet-SW+ / Rockies - ATT SportsNet-RM