Colorado Rockies series preview: Coming home to face Atlanta

The Colorado Rockies are coming home to face the Atlanta Braves in a four game series for the first part of their seven game home-stand.

The Colorado Rockies finished their five game road trip with a split in their two games with the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians and being swept by the Miami Marlins in a three game series. The Rockies look to get back on track with Braves this week and the Milwaukee Brewers this coming weekend. Here are some thing to look for during the series with the Braves.

Monday’s starting pitching match up

On Monday, Rockies starter Chad Bettis will making his long awaited debut as he returns from chemotherapy and testicular cancer.

In his rehab appearances at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, Bettis had a 4.24 ERA in six games (five of which were starts). His WHIP and strikeout, walk, hit, and home run rates were all just about the same for him in the minors this year as they were in the major leagues last season. Seven of the Braves position players have hit against Bettis and there are some of note. Nick Markakis is 4-for-10, Freddie Freeman is 0-for-10, Jace Peterson is 1-for-11, Ender Inciarte is 4-for-8.

He will be facing right-hander Julio Teheran. The 26 year-old is 7-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 23 starts. In his past four starts, he is 0-3 and he has an 8.14 ERA and an opponent batting average of .299. He has had an off season as in the past four seasons (2013-16), he never had an ERA of 4.04, which he had in 2015. With the exception of that, he didn’t have an ERA above 3.21 in the other three seasons. He was an All-Star in 2014 and 2016.

In three career starts in Coors Field, he is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. The Rockies had 21 hits against him in that span (a .309 average). There are nine current Rockies who have faced him before and Jonathan Lucroy and Charlie Blackmon have both done well against him. Lucroy is 4-for-11 with two doubles and two walks (for a .364 average). Blackmon is 5-for-17 (a .294 average) with a double and a homer. Alexi Amarista, Gerardo Parra, DJ LeMahieu, Nolan Arenado, and Carlos Gonzalez all have more than nine at-bats against Teheran and none of them have an average better than .188. Interestingly enough, Teheran has a faced Chad Bettis in the batter’s box before and he is 2-for-2.