The Mets young pitching staff will get tested in their only visit to Colorado this season. The Rockies lead the National League in hitting and runs scored in games played at Coors Field while cashing the over 33 times through their first 59 games there. New York handled the Rockies rather easily in a four-game sweep last week, giving up just five runs total in the series.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Mets come in into the series riding a rough patch after losing for the fourth time in five games Wednesday at Baltimore. New York continues to hold onto first place in the NL East despite a road record of just 22-35 that has them down 11.0 units on the moneyline. Colorado has lost eight of nine, and its terrible home pitching has reached now lows. Since the All-Star break, the Rockies have a 6.54 ERA and .311 opponent batting average in a 5-9 home span while holding the opposition to fewer than five runs twice with the over going 9-4-1 during that time. On the positive side, the Rockies do have the best team batting average and most runs scored at home of any NL club. That hasn’t prevented them from going 26-33 at Coors Field where they’re down 9.51 units
PITCHING MATCHUP
Bartolo Colon (10-11, 4.58 ERA) is 1-7 with a 4.83 ERA in his last 10 starts, but was sharp his last turn throwing seven innings against the Pirates on Friday. He gave up just a solo homer in the first among his five hits allowed and took a no-decision. It was the second time in his last three starts he went at least seven innings while allowing just one run.
With the majority of his time spent in the AL, Colon has limited work against the Rockies. All of his three starts against them have come at Coors Field where he owns a 7.71 ERA over 16.1 innings.
Jon Gray (0-0, 2.40 ERA) was sharp last time out giving up a run on four hits with five strikeouts in five innings against San Diego on Saturday. The rookie is limited to a strict pitch count, no matter the situation, and he was pulled after just 69 pitches. He’s still searching for his first Major League win after bullpen struggles robbed him of that in his last two starts.
Gray faced the Mets just 11 days ago, surrendering only a Travis d’Arnaud home run with five strikeouts in six innings. He tossed 75 pitches in a game the Rockies lost.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“When you have that guy, the roles are a bit more defined, which is nice. But when your bullpen gets used a lot, sometimes roles go out the window. You’re just using the freshest guy. That’s kind of where we’ve been the last week and a half or so. When you get that closer in place, things line up a little bit better.” – Rockies manager on the struggles of his bullpen
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Pitching for the Rockies when half your games are played in the thin air at Coors Field has to be intimidating for anyone. Very few have succeeded over the long-term. Trying to get the final outs to nail down a victory can also be taxing, and the Rockies are all too familiar with that. Weiss announced that John Axford will resume his closer role, a spot he lost recently to Tommy Kahnle after what Axford termed the worst five-game stretch of his career. Axford converted his first 12 save chances and had a 2.36 ERA at the All-Star break. Then things went bad. In five games from July 20-30, Axford went 2-3 with four blown saves and a 19.64 ERA giving up runs in each game. He’s been a little better recently with six scoreless outings in his last nine. But the Rockies are desperate and the closer role will likely remain a mess.
PROP TALK
When Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson gets hot, he can carry the lineup. And he’s been the hottest hitter over the past month. Granderson has six home runs with 16 RBIs in 17 games in August and leads the team with 22 homers and is third with 52 RBIs. Grandy wishes he had more opportunities to hit in Coors Field, where he owns a .375 lifetime average in four games. He has a home run and five RBI’s along with three runs scored in 16 at-bats.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Rockies starter Gray may never get a win, unless he completes a game with fewer than 80 pitches. Manager Walt Weiss is holding his rookie to a strict pitch count and as long as he summons a reliever, the chances of losing the ballgame increase significantly. Gray left his last two outings with the lead before the pen blew up and there aren’t many arms that have done the job. If the Mets can’t get to Gray, they just have to wait for their chances.
New York 6, Colorado 4
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the New York Mets versus the Colorado Rockies will commence Friday, August 21, 2015, at 8:40 p.m. ET at Coors Field. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
