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The Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers will finish up a three-game series on Sunday afternoon. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Rockies-Dodgers prediction and pick.
The Rockies managed to take the first game of this series, extending their streak of surprisingly good play. Colorado is 5-5 over its last 10 games, which isn't too shabby for a team that holds a record of 59-70. The Dodgers come into this rubber match on a better streak than the Rockies as winners of eight of their last 10 contests. They still trail the San Francisco Giants by 2.5 games in the NL West, so games like this one are crucial. The Dodgers can't afford to lose the easy ones if they want any hope of catching their rivals.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for Sunday's game.
MLB Odds: Rockies-Dodgers Odds
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Colorado Rockies +1 1/2 (-103)
Los Angeles Dodgers -1 1/2 (-117)
Over 9 runs (-105)
Under 9 runs (+115)
Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread
Luckily for the Rockies, they'll be facing the Los Angeles bullpen for the entire game. The Dodgers have announced that Mitch White will start, a reliever who has made 15 appearances out of the bullpen and only two starts. There's no denying that the Los Angeles relief corps has been great this season, but asking any bullpen to handle six or seven innings of work is putting a lot of pressure on the relievers. The Rockies should be able to get to at least a couple of the Dodgers pitchers throughout this game given the amount of volatility in every bullpen game.
The Rockies are fortunate to have a very different pitching situation from the Dodgers in this game. Colorado will entrust the start to pitcher Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela has been decent over the course of the season, and his numbers reflect that. He has earned a 4.42 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP on the year, but those numbers get better over his last seven starts. Over that span, Senzatela posted a 3.67 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He's clearly on a bit of a hot streak, which definitely helps the Rockies' case in this game.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
Los Angeles may be pitching a bullpen game, but that doesn't mean all that much for them. The Dodgers have one of the best bullpens in baseball, proven by the fact that all of their relievers but one have ERAs below 4.00. That's an insane statistic, and the level of pitching that earns that statistic should be on display Sunday against a poor Rockies offense.
The Dodgers also shouldn't be afraid of Senzatela taking the mound in this one. He has faced Los Angeles twice this season, and both outings were not exactly stellar. The righty has pitched a combined five innings against the Dodgers, giving up 11 runs over that span. Los Angeles clearly doesn't have any trouble hitting Senzatela, and that shouldn't change in this game.
It helps that Senzatela is a far worse pitcher when he plays on the road. His ERA jumps from 3.89 at Coors Field to 5.24 anywhere else. Senzatela's opponents are also batting an incredible .323 against him when he pitches anywhere but his home field.
Final Rockies-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
Despite the fact that this is a bullpen game for the Dodgers, it's just too hard to trust the Rockies in this one. Senzatela has a terrible history against Los Angeles that will almost certainly come into play again in this game, so it's best to stay away from Colorado. The Dodgers should win this game and cover by pulling away in the late innings.
FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers -1 1/2 (-117)
