The Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros wrap up their two-game interleague set at Minute Maid Park Houston on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. They also close down a four-game regular-season series, so we’ve prepared the best Rockies vs. Astros betting pick and odds. 

Back in April, the Rockies surprisingly swept the Astros at Coors Field (6-2 as +103 dogs and 6-3 as +128 dogs), and Colorado is only 4-16 in its previous 20 encounters with Houston. The Astros are -230 home favorites for Wednesday’s closer, while the Rockies sit at +210 moneyline odds on Bookmaker Sportsbook.

The Rockies hope to improve their away record

The Colorado Rockies entered the Astros series with five wins over their previous six contests. All five came at home, while the Rockies dropped six of their last nine contests away from home.

Over the last 15 days, the Rockies have been the hottest hitting team in the majors, leading the way in batting average (.313), on-base percentage (.380), and slugging percentage (.579). However, in 53 road tilts this season, the Rockies have recorded an awful .212/.285/.331 triple-slash.

On the other side of the ball, the Rockies own the fifth-highest ERA in baseball in the second half of the season (5.11). Antonio Senzatela will take the hill Wednesday, and the 26-year-old righty is 2-8 with a 4.73 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 18 starts this season.

Senzatela spent a few weeks on the COVID-19 IL in July. He returned to the Rockies rotation last Thursday and tossed 4.2 frames in a 6-5 win to the Chicago Cubs, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk.

The Astros are struggling in August

The Houston Astros have lost five of their first seven games played in August, including three defeats in a four-game home series against the Minnesota Twins. They are going through a rough patch, and the Astros were only a couple of games ahead of the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, still topping the AL West.

In the last two weeks, the Astros have struggled on the mound, recording a 4.22 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. On the other side of the ball, they’ve scored 61 runs across 11 games in that span, slashing .273/.326/.475.

Framber Valdez will take the mound Wednesday, and he’s 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 13 starts this season. The 27-year-old left-hander hasn’t been at his best lately, posting a 4.64 ERA over his previous six starts (33 innings pitched).

Last week, Framber took a loss in a 5-3 defeat to the Twins. He yielded four earned runs on six hits and three walks while punching out seven through 6.2 frames of work.

Trends:

Colorado:

  • 4-16 in the last 20 games against Houston
  • 3-6 in the last nine games on the road
  • 0-7 in Antonio Senzatela’s last seven starts on the road

Houston:

  • 7-1 in the last eight home games against Colorado
  • 5-2 in Framber Valdez’s last seven starts

Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros Pick

Last season, Antonio Senzatela tossed eight scoreless innings in his lone career start against the Astros. However, the righty is far away from his top form, and over his previous seven starts (40.2 innings pitched), Senzatela has registered a pedestrian 5.09 ERA and a .313 batting average against.

On the other side, the Rockies will try to stay hot at the plate, but as I’ve mentioned, they are way more dangerous when playing at home. Hereof, I’m backing the Astros to win this clash. Their offense is doing a good job, while the Rockies bullpen owns the highest ERA in baseball (5.45).

Pick: Take Houston Astros at -230

The Total:

Over the last couple of weeks, the Rockies’ relievers have recorded a terrible 6.42 ERA and 5.16 FIP, so I’m expecting a high-scoring affair. The Astros bullpen has a 3.32 ERA and 3.63 FIP in that span, but Framber Valdez could easily surrender a few runs early in the game.

The over is 7-2 in Colorado’s last nine contests overall, and it is 6-1 in the Rockies’ last seven outings away from home. Also, the over is 18-11-1 in the last 30 encounters between the Rockies and Astros.

Pick: Go over 9.0 runs at -125