Reds Will Once Again Use Rockies As Punching Bag

Rockies vs. Reds, 7:10 ET

The start of this baseball season was amazing. It was win, after win, after win. Then we got into June and it wasn't very impressive and I haven't really been able to snap out of it. There were good moments, but it wasn't as consistent as it once was. For example, I lost both of my weekend plays, but I told you to bet on Rafael Devers to hit a homer, and he did hit another home run off of Gerrit Cole, his eighth of his career. I'm going to steady the ship and make progress this month. Tonight that starts as we play a game between the Rockies and the Reds. 

The Rockies are one of the few teams that is clearly a seller for the trade deadline. The question mostly is who are they going to trade away and when? They haven't been good in years and need to find some way to rebuild the roster, both through the farm system and at the Major League ranks. Trading is probably their best way to do it. Most free agents don't want to play there, and pitchers certainly don't want to. Building through the farm system could be their best route if they want to field a sustainable team in the long term. As a club, the team is hitting .244 which is impressive, but it really doesn't translate to many wins. They are a terrible road team at 12-31 for the season. This is a recurring theme for the Rockies, unfortunately, as they are terrible on the road in just about every season. Tonight they send out starter Ryan Feltner to take on the Reds. Feltner is 1-7 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP, none of these numbers are pretty, but has the season been better than that? He's been better on the road with a 4.65 ERA compared to a 6.75 home ERA. Opponents are absolutely crushing him though with a .294 batting average against him. He has put together back-to-back strong starts, going a total of 11 innings and allowing just three earned runs. He faced the Reds earlier this season and it was a disaster. It was at Coors Field, but he allowed 10 hits, eight earned runs, and one homer over 4.1 innings against the Reds.

Apr 30, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA;  Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

The Reds came into this season with high hopes. The books expected them to compete for the division crown. I wouldn't say they are in contention to do that, but they are playing decent enough baseball for the year. Right now, they are sitting at 42-48 for the season. They've actually been better on the road than they have at home. Their home record places them at 20-26. I don't know that they are going to have the pieces needed to navigate and find a way to make it to the postseason. Their team is hitting just .225 for the season, but they've outscored the Rockies by nine runs for the year, despite hitting almost 20 points lower than them. The reason they've seen some success is their pitching staff. For the year, they have a 3.84 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Opponents are only hitting .235 off of their staff overall. Tonight, they send out Andrew Abbott to the mound in hopes of stopping the Reds three-game losing streak. Abbott has put tougher a very strong campaign to this point at 8-6 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He doesn't have very drastically different splits, so being at home doesn't worry me much. He did face the Rockies once this year, and he allowed three earned runs on seven hits over six innings. One concern I have about Abbott is the number of walks he allows. He's given up 36 for the season over 96 innings, which isn't absurd, but if he can cut down on those, he will be a true Ace in the rotation.

The Reds have lost three straight games at home, all to the Tigers. Now they have to figure out a different approach to today's opponent. The Rockies struggle on the road, but even at home, they are 0-3 against the Reds. In the one series the two teams have played, they were outscored 29-11. The Reds snapped out of the big slump of their season against the Rockies and now will do it again. They have the better pitcher on the mound, and they will win this game by more than two runs. Back the Reds on the run line at +120. 

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