Colorado Rockies: Injury, new faces shake up pitching vs. Atlanta Braves

By Kevin Henry | Sep 2, 2021

Jul 28, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Santos (46) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Colorado Rockies will return home on Thursday for a seven-game homestand against two National League division leaders, starting with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night. The Rockies will also return to Coors Field with tweaks in the rotation and bullpen.

Here are the changes Colorado Rockies fans can expect to see against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field.

With Jon Gray going on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with right forearm tightness, he will not start as previously scheduled against the Braves in the opener of a four-game series in Denver on Thursday. Chi Chi González (3-6, 6.08 ERA) will take his place on the mound, making his 17th start of the season. Since the All-Star break, González missed from July 28 until August 18 after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list. He’s also struggled when he’s been on the field, posting a 9.69 ERA in four games (three starts) while giving up 18 hits in 13 innings.

Antonio Senzatela (3-9, 4.18 ERA) is slated to start on Friday for the Rockies, followed by Germán Márquez (11-10, 4.10 ERA) on Saturday and Austin Gomber (9-9, 4.53 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday.

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As of press time, Atlanta had not named their starters for the series. We will, however, update this article when that information becomes available. Note: Update can be found at bottom of article.

Colorado fans last saw the Rockies at Coors Field on August 22 before the team took off on a three-city, nine-game trip through Chicago, Los Angeles, and Arlington, Texas. Plenty has changed in the bullpen, in terms of roles and new faces, for the Rockies in that time span.

Since that last home game against Arizona, Carlos Estévez has taken over for Daniel Bard in the closer’s role and has been solid, pitching in five games during the road swing and striking out eight while walking just one in five scoreless frames. Bard, meanwhile, has allowed 12 hits in last 4.2 innings of work. That includes two hits plus a walk in one inning on Wednesday in Texas. He also struck out two, however, to avoid any damage.

Next. An in-depth look at how Colorado's minor league affiliates fared as August wound down. dark

With Wednesday’s roster expansion to 28 players, Colorado has more bullpen arms heading into the homestand as well. Right-handers Justin Lawrence and Antonio Santos return to the active roster, while right-hander Julian Fernández is expected to make his Major League debut sometime during the Braves series.

Expect Fernández and Lawrence to work short relief appearances while Santos could be called upon for a longer relief outing if needed.

UPDATE: Atlanta will send Touki Toussaint to the mound on Thursday, followed by Huascar Ynoa on Friday, Ian Anderson on Saturday, and Charlie Morton on Sunday.

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