Game: Colorado Rockies at Atlanta Braves
Time: 7:20 PM ET
Starting Pitchers: Antonio Senzatela vs. Huascar Ynoa
Odds: Rockies +178, Braves -188
The Atlanta Braves hold a 4.5-game lead over second-place Philadelphia in the NL East Division race. The Braves can maintain their advantage with a win tonight over Colorado. The Rockies won the rare away game last night in the first game of this three-game series with the Braves. Colorado has one of the worst road records in the majors (22-51).
It’s a bit of déjà vu in tonight’s matchup as Colorado’s Antonio Senzatela faces Atlanta’s Huascar Ynoa. The two pitched against each other just 12 days ago at Coors Field in Denver. Senzatela got the better of Ynoa in picking up his fourth win of the season. The Rockies pitcher went seven innings in that game and allowed three earned runs in a 4-3 victory. Ynoa wasn’t terrible though he did give up four earned runs in 5.2 innings to take the loss.
The problem for Senzatela tonight is that the game is not at Coors Field. He is much better at home than he is on the road. Away from Coors Field, Senzatela is 1-6 with a 4.40 ERA. Opposing hitters have hit .289 against him when he pitches on the road. That could be a problem tonight against a Braves lineup that has the fourth-highest OPS in the National League over the past two weeks. The Braves rank seventh in the majors in OPS (.754) for the season.
Just like Senzatela, Ynoa tends to pitch better when at home. Ynoa is 4-5 for the season with a 3.22 ERA, but his ERA on the road jumps to 4.18. In the comforts of Truist Park in Atlanta, Ynoa holds opposing hitters to a .161 batting average which one of the big reasons why his home ERA is 2.45. While he has pitched better at home, Ynoa hasn’t won a decision in a long time. In fact, his last victory came way back in May when he and the Braves beat the Phillies 6-1.
The Rockies have actually won four of their last five games. Three of those four wins helped the Braves as Colorado beat Philadelphia three times in a four-game series. The Rockies also split their recent four-game series with Atlanta in the first week of September. Colorado’s offense is not all that bad ranking eighth (.248) in team batting average and 11th in runs per game (4.58). The Rockies problem is simply playing on the road.
Bettors should take a long look at tonight’s total which is currently 9. When the teams played on Sept. 3, the total went Under. In the last five Rockies-Braves games, the total is 3-1-1. Both pitchers trend to the Under as well. In Senzatela’s last seven starts, the Under has cashed in six of them. Likewise for Ynoa, the Under is 6-2 in his last eight starts. Plus, the Under is 13-7 in Colorado’s last 20 games when they have been the underdog.