Cincinnati Reds vs Colorado Rockies – June 3, 2024 – The Cincinnati Reds come into this series off of a series win against division rival Chicago Cubs. I did a full breakdown on this upcoming series, so go check that out too. Looking forward to tonight, the Reds will face Ryan Feltner with Andrew Abbott on the mound. The Reds have an advantage this series, especially with their momentum and desperately need to carry it forward into the next series against the Cubs again. Let’s break down the matchup for tonight.
Cincinnati Reds LHP Andrew Abbott
Abbott had a rough time out last week against the St Louis Cardinals giving up 6 runs over 6 innings with 2 HRs. Plain and simple, Abbott’s issue is the homers. I noted last time he was on the bump that a noticeable majority of his runs surrendered have been to the long ball this season. Well, thank goodness the Rockies don’t hit an exorbitant amount of HRs – ranking 26th in the bigs.
Abbott’s advanced profile will drive you crazy. He’s not doing any one thing particularly well. He’s just doing everything… mid. What is wild is, given his HR issue, he actually ranks really high for Hard Hit % (86th percentile). If you break down the situations where he has given up runs, it becomes a little more clear. Abbott is dominant until he’s not. He clamps down lineups but then leaves a fastball over the heart of the plate or – as he has done 4 times now – hangs a sweeper gift that gets a ride to the stands.
Look for Abbott to take it a little slower this time out. The Rockies may be a bad team, but they have a few guys that can really hit. I highlighted Ryan McMahon as the guy to watch out for and you can read exactly why here. I’ll say to expect Abbott to surrender 2-3 runs on a homer today and pray I’m wrong.
Cincinnati Reds Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | CF TJ Friedl | .167 |
| 2 | SS Elly De La Cruz | .233 |
| 3 | 3B Jeimer Candelario | .229 |
| 4 | 1B Spencer Steer | .234 |
| 5 | RF Jake Fraley | .295 |
| 6 | C Tyler Stephenson | .248 |
| 7 | DH Nick Martini | .200 |
| 8 | 2B Jonathan India | .228 |
| 9 | LF Will Benson | .197 |
The usual for these Cincinnati Reds. Bell really isn’t the guy to mix things up due to performance. As evidenced by the fact that Fraley and India are on fire and are not moving up the lineup. Maybe there is something to a guy performing in a certain spot.
Colorado Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner
Plain and simple, the Cincinnati Reds should fleece this guy. 6 starts on the season, he’s surrendered 5+ runs. The Reds hit RHP well. This guys offspeed and breaking stuff is so hittable, Benson may even see enough beach balls that he blasts one into the stands. I can’t make this up – the batting average on his slider is .347 and for his changeup its .400! His fastball gets hit to the tune of a .264 average. Everything this guy throw is hittable.
What Feltner does do well is limit walks. He’s in the 70th percentile with only a 6.8 BB %. He also limits exit velocity with an average exit velo of 87.6 MPH – good enough for the 76th percentile.
Colorado Rockies Lineup Card
| Batters | Average | |
| 1 | SS Ezequiel Tovar | .297 |
| 2 | Brendan Rodgers | .265 |
| 3 | C Elias Diaz | .301 |
| 4 | 1B Elehuris Montero | .216 |
| 5 | CF Brenton Doyle | .260 |
| 6 | DH Jacob Stallings | .319 |
| 7 | LF Sean Bouchard | .206 |
| 8 | RF Hunter Goodman | .189 |
| 9 | 3B Alan Trejo | .108 |
The Rockies don’t seem to be taking this one too seriously. McMahon is off and I’m sure Abbott is celebrating on the inside. The Rockies will play their three worst hitters – Goodman, Trejo, and Bouchard. Interesting to see.
