Colorado Rockies game no. 33 thread: Grant Holmes vs. José Quintana

· Yahoo Sports

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 26: Pitcher Jose Quintana #62 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the second inning of game one of a doubleheader against the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 26, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On April 17th, the Los Angeles Dodgers came to Denver with the best record in baseball, a relentless offense, and a pitching staff that made the matchup feel unfair. The Rockies did not need to prove they were better than Los Angeles. They just needed to survive it — and they did, finishing the four-game series with a split. 

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Now the script is back. Only this time, it is Atlanta. 

The Braves arrive at Coors Field looking very much like one of baseball’s best teams. Atlanta enters the night with a best in baseball record of 22-10, with a +66 run differential, and 3.12 team ERA. The lineup is dangerous, the pitching has been excellent, and the record speaks for itself. This is not the 2025 Braves team that spent too much of last season searching for itself. 

But these aren’t the 2025 Rockies, either. 

Colorado comes home 14-18, still flawed, still near the bottom of the NL West, and still ranked 30th in ESPN’s latest power rankings. There are reasons for that, sure. But the Rockies have also scored 137 runs and allowed 144 — a more competitive profile than their reputation suggests. And they return to Denver after their best road swing of the season: a 4-2 trip that included a sweep of the Mets in New York.

The strangest thing about the Rockies right now is not that they are suddenly good. They are not. The strangest thing is that they are giving people reasons to watch without irony. Things have changed —not enough to declare everything fixed, but enough that fans can feel the shift.

Now comes the next test.

José Quintana gets the ball for Colorado. He enters 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.53 WHIP through four starts, with some wobbly underlying numbers behind it: a 5.34 xERA, 13.4% walk rate, and 11.3% barrel rate. Atlanta has seen plenty of him, too. Most of the history is manageable, but Ozzie Albies stands out, going 9-for-19 with three home runs against Quintana. The veteran lefty won’t overpower this lineup. He needs to change speeds, keep traffic manageable, and avoid letting the Braves turn the opener into a runaway bullpen game.

On the other side, tonight is probably the most approachable matchup of the weekend, with Grant Holmes on the bump for Atlanta — Chris Sale and Spencer Strider are waiting behind him.

Holmes is not that kind of name, but he has been effective. He enters with a 2-1 record, 3.62 ERA, and 1.21 WHIP across six starts, though his 4.14 xERA and 10.4% walk rate suggest there should be traffic available if the Rockies make him work. Holmes’ slider has been his primary weapon. He has thrown it 39% of the time, and it has produced a 51.6% whiff rate. If Colorado spends the night helping him, the game will get away quickly. If the Rockies are patient enough to force him into the zone, there should be chances to do damage — especially at Coors. 

The Rockies survived this kind of test once already. 

Now they get to see if that was a one-off, or if there really is something stubborn and strange about this 30th-ranked team.

First Pitch: 6:40 PM MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Braves SB Nation site:Battery Power

Lineups:

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