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The battle for the NL West basement is set to take place as the Colorado Rockies prepare for battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks. You know what time it is! Let's take a look at our MLB odds series, where our Rockies-Diamondbacks prediction and pick will be on full display.
The Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak by spoiling Juan Soto's series debut with the Padres in a very fundamentally sound 7-3 victory. Things have not been peachy for Colorado this season, but a gratifying win against the D-Backs would certainly ease the pain. Starter German Marquez will make the start after going 6-9 with a 5.29 ERA in his 20 games started.
As for Arizona, the D-Backs are fresh off a gut-wrenching 7-4 loss at the hands of the Guardians in the rubber match of the series. Losers in five of their last six matchups, the Diamondbacks will call upon Madison Bumgarner in an attempt to make a miraculous turnaround before the conclusion of the regular season slate. Bumgarner is 6-10 with a 3.83 ERA on the year.
Here are the Rockies-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rockies-Diamondbacks Odds
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-178)
Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+146)
Over: 8 (-118)
Under: 8 (-104)
Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread
Hence their name, the 2022 season has been a rocky road in trying to keep their heads above water. In a playoff drought since the 2019 season, the Rockies front office has shown a lack of understanding of how to build a roster in the years since. Now sitting at an underwhelming 47-61, Colorado looks to be like a lost cause for the remainder of the regular season. Even despite their struggles, Colorado has always showcased a small beam of talent throughout their franchise history, especially on the offensive side of things.
Through their first 108 games, Colorado's offense has stayed the course in a hitter's friendly home ballpark on their way to ranking ninth in runs scored, second in batting average, and fifth in batting average. One look at these hitting numbers would suggest that the Rockies are a playoff-worthy team, but not so fast my friend. Newsflash, Colorado's pitching staff has been absolutely dreadful. With a team ERA approaching the 5.00 mark, the Rockies have found it near impossible to record outs and keep teams off of the scoreboard on a consistent basis.
The good news? Colorado will look to take advantage of third-baseman Ryan McMahon's scorching stretch at the plate. After finishing July in a 2-28 funk, he has rebounded nicely by smoking the baseball against the Padres. In the five-game series against San Diego, McMahon went 7-15 and has had three-straight two-hit outings.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
As the blistering heat in the valley of the sun continues to beat down on the residents of Phoenix, the Diamondbacks have yet to get with the get-go and are instead playing like a team that is from the Arctic Circle. All jokes aside, this is no joking matter for a team that sits 25.5 games back from the division and 10.5 back of a Wild Card Spot, Arizona fans are very close to turning the page to football season unless the D-Backs can give Arizonians something to cheer about.
Colorado has a 17-34 record away from Coors Field, and the Diamondbacks have to take advantage of this when suiting up for play tonight. Not to mention, but the Arizona offense should have their chances against German Marquez. While the D-Backs are among the bottom-half of major league teams with the bats, they have at least shown resiliency in being an opportunistic bunch. If Arizona can cause chaos on the base paths, then watch out for some offense in favor of the D-Backs.
Even though Bumgarner seems to be past his prime and isn't quite the pitcher from his glory days in San Francisco, the lanky lefty still has all of the experience in the world. Now in his 14th season in the bigs, Bumgarner has actually improved his ERA from a year ago, as he lowered it from 4.67 to 3.83. Since the 33-year-old doesn't throw necessarily hard, he has been able to be extremely durable in his almost two years with the Diamondbacks. With a 19-10 record and 3.37 ERA in a whopping 40 career starts against the Rockies, Bumgarner may be in line for a terrific start.
Final Rockies-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
While many baseball bettors may view this matchup as a toss-up, the Rockies have a slight edge in this one. Expect Colorado OF Charlie Blackmon to continue his torturing ways of Madison Bumgarner, as the long-time Rockie is slashing .340 with three home runs against him. It would be wise to take Colorado to cover the +1.5 spread, as choosing the D-Backs to win my multiple runs doesn't seem likely.
Final Rockies-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Rockies +1.5 (-178)
