The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs will begin a three-game series on Monday. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Rockies-Cubs prediction and pick.
Both of these teams enter this series playing for pride. The Rockies haven't played a meaningful game in this entire season, as they're currently 23 games back of first place in the NL West. To their credit, the Rockies have picked up their play recently, winning five of their last six contests. The same can't be said about the Cubs, who have won only two of their last 10 games. Chicago punted on the season at the trade deadline, and it was a very successful punt. The Cubs have been one of the worst teams in baseball since then, and that won't change for the rest of the year.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Monday's game.
MLB Odds: Rockies-Cubs Odds
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Colorado Rockies ML (+111)
Chicago Cubs ML (-121)
Over 9 runs (+100)
Under 9 runs (-120)
Why The Rockies Could Win
The Rockies don't typically do too much winning, but when they do it's because of their offense. The lineup has put together more than four runs in five of their last six wins, and there's a good chance they continue their little hot streak against Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks.
Hendricks has some decent season-long numbers, but his stats from his last seven starts show some cracks in his game. Over that span, Hendricks has earned a 4.76 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Strangely enough, Hendricks' numbers get even worse when he pitches at home. His ERA skyrockets to 5.17, and his opponents hit .296 against him when Hendricks pitches at Wrigley Field. Those numbers should look very hittable to a red-hot Rockies lineup.
The Rockies will entrust Monday's start to Antonio Senzatela. Senzatela has put together a decent season, pitching to the tune of a 4.58 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Those numbers reflect a level of pitching that should be good enough to deal with a Cubs lineup that has been one of the worst in MLB this entire season.
Why The Cubs Could Win
While Hendricks hasn't been pitching his best as of late, there's still plenty of reason to believe that he can pitch well in this game. Hendricks only allows a walk rate of 5.3% and a hard-hit rate of 33.5%. Both numbers are incredibly low, meaning that the Rockies will struggle to get free men on the bases and score extra-base hits. If Colorado wants to score, the club will have to string together base hits. The Rockies may be hot, but they're still one of the worst offenses in the league. Asking them to string together hits consistently is likely asking too much. Hendricks should be able to handle this lineup without too much trouble.
The Cubs have struggled on offense this entire season, but even they should be able to get to Senzatela in this game. The Rockies starter always struggles when he's on the road, where his ERA shoots up 5.80. His opponent's batting average experiences a similar jump from .271 at Coors Field to .335 anywhere else. Chicago should be able to put up runs on Senzatela early in the game.
Final Rockies-Cubs Prediction & Pick
This game is a bit too close to call comfortably. Both teams have solid cases that could make them the pick, so it's best to shy away from either side. The under is the best pick on the board here. These are two terrible offenses and two decent pitchers, with Hendricks historically a solid option on the bump. Even the Rockies' recent hot streak isn't enough to consider the over here.
FINAL PICk: Under 9 runs (-120)
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