The Oakland Athletics will head to The Mile High City to take on the Colorado Rockies in the first game of their three-game series. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make an Athletics-Rockies prediction and pick.
The Athletics have had a solid start to the season. They are 33-25 for the year and sit in first place in the American League West. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies have won four straight games but still sit in fourth place of the National League West with a 23-34 record.
Despite the discrepancy in the two teams' overall record, both franchises are currently 5-5 in their last 10 appearances and will be looking to start the summer months strong.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Athletics-Rockies odds.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Rockies Odds
Oakland Athletics -1.5 (+104)
Colorado Rockies +1.5 (-124)
Over 11 Runs (-115)
Under 11 Runs (-105)
Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
The Athletics are just 30-28 against the run line this season. However, when the Athletics are the away favorite, they have covered 66.7% of the time.
Oakland plans to give Frankie Montas his 11th start of the season. The right-hander is currently 5-5 on the year and has a 4.45 ERA. He gave up six hits and four runs in his last start, leading to a 4-0 shutout loss to the Los Angeles Angels. That said, Montas has been far more productive during his away starts. On the road, Montas is 2-1 and has a 2.50 ERA.
Next stop: Colorado 🛫 pic.twitter.com/KbRCl7udmL
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) June 3, 2021
The Athletics' lineup consists of a lot of power. They are ranked sixth in MLB with 73 home runs this season. Expect that number to increase, as they will be playing at Coors Field in the high altitude. Coors Field has the highest park factor in terms of runs scored with a +1.362 average, per Fantasy Pros.
Individually, Matt Olson has had the biggest bat for the Athletics this season. He leads the team with a .274 batting average and 14 home runs. He also has tallied 37 RBI this season.
If Olson and the rest of the Athletics can increase their home run total in a favoring park and Montas can maintain his 2.5o ERA on the road, Oakland will continue to increase its division lead.
Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread
The Rockies have the greatest home-field advantage in all of baseball. Overall, the Rockies are 28-29 against the run line this season, but they cover 64.5% of the time in their home park. That ranks them No. 1 in MLB for the team against the run line at home.
The Rockies plan to start Jon Gray on the mound. He is 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA this season. Gray has an impressive 30-14 career record when pitching at Coors Field. However, this will be the right-hander's first-ever matchup against the Athletics.
knock knock knock pic.twitter.com/lIgvTyxZSJ
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 3, 2021
The Rockies are averaging 6.0 runs while playing at home compared to just 2.4 on the road. In fact, out of their 248 runs this season, 74.5% of them have taken place in front of their home crowd.
Individually for the Rockies, Ryan McMahon leads the team with 13 home runs. However, Raimel Tapia has been the most consistent hitter. He has 55 hits this season, ranking him 25th in the league amongst qualified hitters.
The Rockies will need to continue their dominance at home and have a strong game offensively to overcome Oakland.
Final Athletics-Rockies Prediction & Pick
The Athletics have been the better team so far this season, but we should be in for a competitive game with the Rockies' current form in their home park.
However, when the Athletics are up against a right-handed hitter, they are ninth in weight runs created plus (wRC+) with 103, per numberFire. For that reason, combined with the advantages that Coors Field provides to a strong hitting team, the Oakland Athletics will cover the -1.5 run line.
FINAL PICK: Oakland Athletics -1.5 (+104)
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