The Colorado Rockies take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rockies Cardinals prediction and pick.
Kyle Freeland goes to the mound for the Rockies, while Jose Quintana gets the start for the Cardinals.
Kyle Freeland has a 4.84 ERA. Just when it seems he might be making progress at various points in his 2022 season, he then gets knocked back a few pegs. He shut out the Brewers in seven strong innings in late July, but then turned in a few relatively ordinary starts, followed by a disaster last week against the Cardinals, who roughed him up for six runs in 4 1/3 innings. We'll see if Freeland makes relative adjustments against the Redbirds, or if his opponent remains locked in and continues to give him a hard time.
Jose Quintana gave up six runs to the Rockies in five innings of work on July 15, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Quintana had to adjust to the Rockies when he faced them just a few weeks later on Aug. 10. He stepped up and delivered a quality outing, giving up just two runs in six innings at Coors Field. Quintana adjusted to a bad outing versus the same opponent. It's the very situation Freeland faces for Colorado against St. Louis, a team which recently gave him trouble.
Quintana has been everything the Cardinals hoped for since the deadline deal which sent him to St. Louis from Pittsburgh: two starts, 12 innings pitched, three runs allowed, only one homer given up. That will play. The Cardinals have gotten exactly what they wanted from both Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, the two starting pitchers they acquired before the deadline. This has been a big reason why they have overtaken the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central lead.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rockies-Cardinals MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Rockies-Cardinals Odds
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-110)
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
Why The Rockies Could Cover the Spread
Kyle Freeland has had a — pardon the pun — rocky season in 2022, but much as his highs never seem to last, his low periods also don't remain permanent. Freeland is inconsistent, but the inconsistency includes moments when he interrupts a bad stretch with a good start. He is due for one here. Also, Jose Quintana is pitching better than expected. Some regression from him would not come as a shock in this game.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover the Spread
Jose Quintana is a better pitcher than Kyle Freeland, and he is performing better than Freeland right now. Beyond that, the Cardinals are a very confident ballclub, having won a big series against the Brewers to keep the N.L. Central lead. The whole clubhouse and, for that matter, the city of St. Louis are in great spirits after Cardinal legend Albert Pujols turned back the clock with a vintage display of power on Sunday. His two home runs — giving him 689 for his career — beat the Brewers and electrified Busch Stadium. The Cardinals are riding the wave, and the Rockies are not posing a pitcher who is likely to stop them.
Final Rockies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
This is a game which feels like a trap. Everything outwardly says the Cardinals should romp, and they might, but Freeland is a better pitcher than he has recently shown, and Quintana is probably due for some regression. Staying away seems like the best choice, but picking the Cardinals is entirely reasonable.
Final Rockies-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5
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