Elder looks for his second straight solid start and the Braves look to continue their offensive hot streak
The Atlanta Braves are coming off a hot streak of winning three series and scoring 5.66 runs per game. They did surrender 4.55 runs per game so their offense had to carry them, but it was refreshing to see a solid streak.
The Braves are in a good spot to continue their hot streak as they face the Colorado Rockies, owners of MLB’s worst record.
The Braves will bring Bryce Elder to the mound. Prior to his last start, Elder had the second worst fWAR of any SP over his last 100.0 IPs. He also had a 7.20 ERA, 7.03 FIP, 1.533 WHIP and a 2.00 SO/BB ratio this season prior to his last start.
Elder showed some signs of turning things around in his last start. Over 6.0 innings, he gave up five hits, one ER, three walks, and two strikeouts. He was also able to induce nine groundballs.
The Braves will be facing Ryan Feltner who has 335.0 innings under his belt. He sports a 5.13 ERA, 4.49 FIP, and 1.418 WHIP. In terms of ERA, he is having the best season of his career with a 3.86 over 25.2 IP which includes a solid xERA of 3.41. That being said, he is struggling in other areas. He has a 4.73 FIP, 1.91 SO/BB ratio. His 10.0 percent walk rate is higher than his career mark of 8.9 and his 19.1 percent strikeout rate is lower than his 19.6. Hitters are also hitting the ball hard at a high rate of 42.3 percent of the time.
Based on just looking at the starting pitchers, it looks like it could be a high scoring game. However, the same could be said the last time Bryce Elder took the mound against his opponent with a 7.64 ERA and the game ended as a 4-1 victory for the Braves.
No hitters in either lineup have seen the opposing pitcher more than seven times, so it is hard to draw a conclusion on how they will fare based on the matchups. Ryan McMahon has a HR versus Elder and Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies have all hit a HR against Ryan Feltner.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 28, 8:40 p.m. EDT
Location: Coors Field, Denver, CO
TV: FanDuel Sports South, Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan