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NL West action is in full swing as the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their opening season series out on the road as they square up with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series where our Dodgers-Rockies pick and prediction will be revealed.
The Dodgers scored five times in the 4th inning and never looked back, as ace Walker Buehler pitched five innings allowing only two runs on five strikeouts. LA will turn to RHP Tony Gossolin, who enters 2022 after recording 65 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA a season ago.
Colorado had the tying run come to the plate in OF Kris Bryant down two with a man on in the bottom of the ninth, but closer Craig Kimbrel struck the former Cub out on an outside slider to end any possible threat. Rockies ace German Marquez will get his first start of the season on Saturday, as the Venezuelan-born fireballer is easily a top 50 pitcher in the league after an All-Star caliber campaign in 2021.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Dodgers-Rockies MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Rockies Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-105)
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-114)
Over: 11.5 (-120)
Under: 11.5 (-102)
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Why The Dodgers Could Cover the Spread
The Dodgers could cover the spread on Saturday because they are considered a World Series favorite and bolster one of the top rosters that baseball has to offer. After losing notable names like A.J. Pollock and Corey Seager in the off-season, LA managed to swindle Freddie Freeman from the Atlanta Braves and also added to an already stacked bullpen.
Los Angeles picked up right where they left off in their 106-win 2021 campaign, as they crawled back from an early 2-0 deficit to play spoiler in defeating the Rockies in their home opener 5-3. Top-to-bottom, the Dodgers will be favorites in most games they play this year. After a strong pitching performance by one of the elite twirlers in the game in Walker Buehler, the Dodgers staff will look to continue the hot start with Tony Gosselin.
The 27-year old righty from Vacaville, CA started 13 games for the Dodgers a year ago, as he impressed manager Dave Roberts with a 13-4 record in those appearances. Gosselin appears to have a fair shot at being a regular starter in the Dodgers rotation this season, and a continued trend of successful outings will boost his chances of achieving that.
While Los Angeles looked like a bunch playing their first game of the season offensively in the beginning frames, the Dodgers showed their explosiveness by detonating in the fifth inning. LA is clearly the better team on paper compared to Colorado, as they just about have the edge in every position when comparing both lineups. With LA's multiple-year dominance over the Rox,
Why The Rockies Could Cover the Spread
The Rockies got off to a hot start on Friday, giving the home fans at Coors Field some hope before being let down after lefty Kyle Freeland showed fatigue in a disastrous fifth inning. The bullpen held their own the rest of the way, but the offense could not generate enough scoring opportunities down the stretch.
Surprisingly, the Rockies' strong suit in 2022 may in fact be its pitching, a far cry for a franchise that has historically been near the bottom half of pitching statistics since its inception in 1993. Outside of a shaky and unproven bullpen, Colorado has a few quality guys within their pitching staff that should keep them in games.
The best pitcher of the trio is hands down German Marquez, who might go down as the greatest Rockies hurler in franchise history. Marquez possesses a fastball that reaches in the upper 90s and has a curveball that will make you buckle at the knees. Not to mention, Marquez has historically pitched decently well at Coors Field with a 4.50 ERA, which is better than most. In 2021, the Rockies magnificent pitcher held batters to a .242 BA while maintaining a 176:64 K/BB ratio in 32 starts.
However, if the Rockies are going to pull off the upset and cover the spread, they need to warm up the lumber. Colorado only mustered up four hits through seven innings, finishing with a total of seven before the final out was recorded. The Rockies need Kris Bryant to live up to his massive contract, as the 2016 World Series champ signed with Colorado on a seven-year, $182 million dollar deal prior to the season.
Final Dodgers-Rockies Prediction & Pick
Is it crazy to think that Marquez is going to dice up the Dodgers? Other than his recent outing against LA on September 22 of last year where he gave up five runs, Marquez the Dodgers under two runs in six-straight outings prior. With a 47,000 sold-out crowd at Coors Field, the Rockies have good value in covering the spread at home in their second game of the year.
Final Dodgers-Rockies Prediction & Pick: Rockies +1.5 (-114)
