The San Francisco Giants take on the Colorado Rockies. Check out our MLB odds series for our Giants Rockies prediction and pick.
Jakob Junis goes to the rubber for the Giants, while Chad Kuhl will start for the Rockies.
Jakob Junis has a 4.15 ERA. He has been riding the struggle bus. His August ERA was over seven runs. His September ERA is 4.70. His pitching lines involve a lot of crooked numbers. He has allowed at least three runs in six of his last eight starts. That simply won't get the job done. The Giants' bullpen has been a disappointment this season, but Junis has not done enough to offset that particular deficiency on the San Francisco pitching staff. It is hard to see him being kept around by this team for 2023, given how many choices the Giants' front office has to make. The Giants won 107 games in 2021 and will almost certainly finish the 2022 season with a sub-.500 record. Lots of changes will be made, and Junis should certainly be one of them. He is pitching less for his future with the Giants, more for his value on the trade market when we talk about the hot stove this winter.
Chad Kuhl has a 5.53 ERA. He is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in four starts since coming off the injured list a few weeks ago. He has given up 10 earned runs in two starts versus the Giants this season. It has been a very bumpy ride for Kuhl and the Rockies' pitching staff, which has had its moments this season — pitching well against the Braves and Mets a few weeks ago — but has not been able to sustain a high level of quality for any particularly prolonged period of time. Pitching will be a priority for the Rockies in the offseason, and one can reasonably trust that Kuhl will not be part of this organization's long-term plans.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Giants-Rockies MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Giants-Rockies Odds
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+116)
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-140)
Over: 11.5 (-104)
Under: 11.5 (-118)
Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
Chad Kuhl is a mediocre pitcher who has not been pitching well, and whom the Giants have scored on this season. That's pretty simple. Jakob Junis is hardly an elite pitcher, but he is better than Kuhl and has been better than Kuhl this season. San Francisco just played a three-game series against the Dodgers. After seeing the Dodgers' parade of quality starters and relievers, the Rockies' pitching staff will look so much better (read: easier to hit) by comparison.
Why The Rockies Could Cover the Spread
The Giants not only played a Sunday Night Baseball game while the Rockies played Sunday afternoon; more than that, the Giants played a rain-delayed game which went extra innings against the Dodgers. The Giants got into Denver early Monday morning while the Rockies had a good night's sleep in their own beds. That, plus Jakob Junis's lack of high-end quality, should give Colorado enough to win this game outright, and not merely cover the spread on the run line.
Final Giants-Rockies Prediction & Pick
The over at 11.5 could be a play, but overs usually depend on both teams, not one, getting hot. The better play is the Rockies plus the run and a half. With the Giants getting into Denver late on Monday morning, Colorado is set up well for this particular game, especially since San Francisco won't have one of its better starters on the hill.
Final Prediction & Pick: Rockies +1.5
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