The Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros open a quick two-game series today. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Rockies-Astros prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Rockies enter the game after losing two of three to the Tigers over the weekend. Kris Bryant returned to the Rockies in the series, going three for 14 with an RBI. Things have not been going well for the Rockies. They have lost six of their last ten, but that is an improvement over losing eight straight in June. The Rockies now sit with the worst record in the National League at 33-53 and have been dreadful on the road this year. On the road, they are 13-29 for the year, just a half-game better than the Royals.

The Astros come in after making up ground in the race for the AL West. Even with their injury-depleted roster, the Astros took three of four from the Rangers. They have won six of their last ten games now, and sit just three games back of the Rangers in the AL West. The Astros are currently tied for the second wild-card spot with the Yankees.

Here are the Rockies-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Rockies-Astros Odds

Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-120)

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+100)

Over: 9 (-120)

Under: 9 (-102)

How To Watch Rockies vs. Astros

TV: ATTR/ATTH

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 4:10 PM ET/ 1:10 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread

If the Rockies are going to win games, it will come down to consistent scoring. The Rockies are 14th in runs scored this year, while sitting 11th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 16th in slugging. The issue for them this year has been pitching. This was seen just in their last game when they scored nine runs and still lost by five. They have given up 88 runs in the last ten games, including 25 to the Angels. The pitching staff ranks in the bottom three in baseball in ERA, WHIP, opponent batting average, and quality starts.

Hoping to put out a good showing today will be Kyle Freeland. Freeland is 4-8 on the year with a 4.88 ERA. He struggled some in June. While he did have two starts in which he gave up two or fewer runs, Freeland gave up 20 runs in just 26.1 innings of work. That is good for a 6.49 ERA and a 0-2 record. The issue in his last two games has been home runs. He has given up three home runs in the last two games.

Hoping to give Freeland run support will be some hot bats for the Rockies. Ezequiel Tovar has driven in eight runs in his last six games. In that time he has a home run, and a double, and is hitting .348. He has also walked twice giving him an OBP of .423 over the last week as he has scored six times. Jurickson Profar joins him in hitting hot. He has four RBIs while hitting .348. His patience at the plate has been amazing. He has drawn five walks in the last six games, giving him an OBP of .464 in that period.

The offense not only got Kris Bryant back recently but added CJ Cron back to the lineup. Since returning from injury he has hit .333 with a .368 OBP. The power is not back yet, as he does not have a home run and has just one double, but he has scored four times. At the same time, the rookie Brenton Doyle has scored four times in the last week as well, while driving in two runs.

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

The Astros have their offense rolling. It took 12 runs yesterday to get the win, but they scored 24 runs in four games against the Rangers. They have scored 65 runs in their last ten games, bringing them six wins in the process. The offense is tenth in the majors in runs scored this year while sitting 15th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 13th in slugging.

In the last week, Kyle Tucker has been on fire. In his past seven games, he is 14 for 28, hitting .500 with a .548 OBP. Turker has hit three home runs, three doubles, and driven in 13 runs in the last week. He has also scored nine times in seven games, leading this offense. Joining Tucker in driving in runs is Jose Abreu. He has driven in nine runs in the last week, with two home runs and three doubles. He is also hitting .357 over the last week.

The offense currently has five guys with five or more RBIs in the last week. Jose Altuve has seven RBIS with three home runs. Alex Bregman has a home run and five RBIs, while Chas McCormick has five RBIs and is hitting .350.

The Astros will be sending Brandon Bielak out to get the start today. This will be Bielak's eighth start of the year since coming up in May. He is 3-4 on the year with a 4.37 ERA. His three starts in June did not go well. He gave up three or more runs in each of them while giving up four home runs in three starts. He went 1-2 on the month with a 6.61 ERA. The major issue was the number of guys he let on base. Bielak gave up 24 hits and six walks in just 16.1 innings of work.

Final Rockies-Astros Prediction & Pick

Expect plenty of runs today with the two pitchers on the mound. Bielak has been struggling heavily, and the Rockies do have some bats that will make him pay for poor pitches. At the same time, Kyle Freeland has not been good this year, and will also give up plenty of runs. If this is going to be a slugfest, the advantage goes heavily to the Astros. They have the hot bats and have been averaging 6.5 runs per game in the last ten, while the Rockies have been giving up runs in droves. The over is the safe play today, but the Astros should walk away with a win as well.

Final Rockies-Astros Prediction & Pick: Astros -1.5 (+100) and Over 9 (-120)