After losing 94 games in the previous season and the Astros in contention for the WC, the Colorado Rockies sure grabbed eyes with their 1-0 head start in the series against the Houston Astros. The Astros are having 72-60 and the Rockies with 38-94, the start of the match really struck out as a shocker.
Pitching Matchup
The next game, Colorado’s Chase Dollander (2-10, 6.91 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) is going against Houston’s Framber Valdez (11-7, 3.32 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). Dollander will be looking to iron out his game with Valdez’s consistency with the Astros as one of their most trusted starting pitchers, and Dollander’s rough season.
Rockies Took Lead Over Astros
The Rockies took lead over Astros in the first game of the series in spite of Houston topping the standings with a 38-28 home record with a .401 slugging percentage. .401 OPS is very respectable, ranking in the top 10 out of the whole league for the year, suppressed their average.
Team Form and Injuries
The Astros have a 4-6 record in their last 10 games, slumping with a .216 batting average and a 5.29 ERA. Additionally, they have been outscored by 24 runs. The Rockies, meanwhile, are 5-5 in their last 10 and are hitting .242, but have a 5.59 ERA. They too have been outscored, but by only 13 runs. Both teams are dealing with injury difficulties. For Houston, Josh Hader, Luis Garcia, and Ronel Blanco are out. For Colorado, they are missing Kris Bryant and German Marquez.
Outlook
The Rockies took lead over Astros early in the series, but now the narrative is different. Houston still stands as the favorite due to their depth and home-field advantage, but Colorado’s surprising victory shifts the narrative and makes this a more interesting battle. Both teams will heavily rely on their pitchers, as they have in the recent games, along with the few sparks seen from the offenses.
Conclusion
The Rockies took lead over Astros, but in doing so put Houston on notice heading into the next matchup. For Colorado, this victory serves as a boost to their confidence, and for Houston, they need to try to quickly regroup if they want to maintain control in the AL West.
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