It is game three of three in the series in Denver as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Colorado Rockies. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Rockies prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Cardinals and Rockies have split the first two games of this series. In the win for the Cardinals, rookie Jordan Walker extended his record-setting hit streak to 11 games, and the Cards came from behind to get the win. The Rockies got to Miles Mikolas for five runs in the fourth and fifth inning, but the bullpen gave up four in the seventh and three in the ninth to lose. Both teams are currently sitting in last place in their respective divisions, but it is still early, and both teams can turn things around.
Here are the Cardinals-Rockies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Rockies Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (-118)
Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-102)
Over: 13 (-112)
Under: 13 (-108)
How To Watch Cardinals vs. Rockies
TV: BSMW/ATTR
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 3:10 PM ET/ 12:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals’ bats finally showed up in the 9-6 win over the Rockies. Since they scored nine runs twice in their series against the Blue Jays, the bats had gone cold, scoring just 18 runs in seven games. The primary issue is gettings runs across the plate. The Cardinals sit fourth in the MLB with a .286 batting average and have a .358 OBP which is only behind the Tampa Bay Rays. They are even hitting .286 with runners in scoring position, which is fourth in the MLB. Yet, with all of that, they are 21st in runs with just 49 on the season. The issue is they are hitting mainly singles and walking to get on base.
St. Louis is currently 22nd in doubles, has just one triple, and is 14th in home runs. They are boosting that average with RISP by singles, and not getting them actually across the plate. The Cardinals leave an average of 3.55 runners in scoring position per game, which is 20th in the MLB. They need to find a little power and some extra-base hits in their lineup to get those runs across. Possibly, they could also be more aggressive on the basepath, attempting to score from second on a single.
Jack Flaherty is the starter for this one for the Cardinals. In his first start, he gave up seven walks, but no hits, and no runs in a win against the Blue Jays. The second time out he gave up four hits and six walks, with just two runs, but took the loss to the Brewers. Two things need to happen for Flaherty to get his second win. He needs to bring down the walk totals. He is walking over one batter per inning, and he needs to bring that down. Secondly, he needs some run support. He has only gotten three runs of support so far this year, and those came in one game.
Why The Rockies Could Cover The Spread
Colorado is having some of the same issues as the Cardinals. They are 19th in leaving runners on base this year, with 3.50 per game. They are also hitting well, with a .270 batting average, 6th in baseball, but unlike the Cardinals, they are not taking as many walks. Their OBP is just .322, which is 18th in MLB. They have converted a few more runs, with a 15th-ranked 54 runs on the season. They are getting hits, but not scoring enough runs to win games.
A major part of that has been the pitching. The Rockies are currently 25th in team ERA with a 5.28 ERA on the season. Many of the starts have been good though, with five quality starts on the season. That is tied for fourth in baseball this year. The issue has come with the bullpen. The bullpen ERA is 5.77, 24th in the MLB. They have a 1.58 WHIP which is 27th in baseball. Jake Bird has an ERA of 9.95 in his 6.12 innings of relief, while Dinelson Lamet has an 8.44 ERA in 5.1 innings. It was the bullpen that cost them again last night, and while they are not the ones getting the losses, they are also not allowing their offense to get them back into games.
Jose Urena is getting his third start of the year, and he has been dreadful this year. In his two starts, he has yet to make it out of the third inning. He has given up three home runs, 12 hits, seven walks, and eight earned runs in just five innings on the season. Urena is too good of a pitcher for this to continue, but if he does not figure it out today, he will get shelled again by a Cardinals offense that can hit.
Final Cardinals-Rockies Prediction & Pick
Both teams have not been wonderful this year. They both have struggled to score, even when hitting fairly decent. Pitching has been bad for both teams as well, as both are in the bottom third of the league in team ERA. Still, the Cardinals have been slightly better in just about every category. Combine that with the fact that Urena has been awful this year, and it lines up for a Cardinals win. Urena gets out of the third inning this time, but still takes his third loss of the year.
Final Cardinals-Rockies Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (-118)
The post MLB Odds: Cardinals vs. Rockies prediction, pick, how to watch – 4/12/2023 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
