Free Picks: Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers (9-2) face off against the Colorado Rockies (3-8) in a matchup that has swung far in the favor of the Dodgers in recent seasons. Los Angeles has taken four of five against Colorado already this season, following a 22-7 combined record in this series in the two previous years. What can we say, the Dodgers are a juggernaut that have the highest probability of winning the World Series — and the Rockies are a rebuilding team without much of an identity.

Look, we’ve gotta be honest here. Unless there’s a blatant pitching mismatch in the Rockies’ favor (which seems highly unlikely to happen — have you seen L.A.’s rotation?), you’re probably better off picking the Dodgers every single time these teams match up. Let’s just look at the starting pitcher comparison and I’ll show you what I mean.

On Thursday, the Rockies roll with Austin Gomber (0-2, 2.89 ERA) while the Dodgers deploy Julio Urias (2-0, 2.84 ERA). Do you notice anything in their stat lines? Despite having almost identical earned run averages, Urias is unbeaten and Gomber is winless.

That’s because, beyond who’s standing on the mound, the Dodgers have a far more complete lineup of hitters. Not only are there two MVP winners (Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger), but there is a stable of above-average players up and down the lineup card.

Seven guys with at least eight games played have posted an OPS+ of 169 or better (meaning their OPS is 69% better than league average). Bellinger is on the injured list right now, but that hasn’t mattered much because Corey Seager, Max Muncy, Justin Turner and others have picked up the slack admirably.

So when you look at the latest MLB odds and see the Dodgers are -303 favorites (888sport), just know that the line is that stacked for a reason. It’s almost not worth wagering on, because it’s not at all lucrative. It’s just that the Dodgers are that good.

Now, you could roll the dice and take the Rockies (+240 at 888sport), but we don’t advise it. After a surprising 8-5 win on opening day against the Dodgers, Colorado has since lost four straight to its fellow National League West foe. The Rockies have also scored just four runs in their past four games. That is oh so bleak.

What you might want to do instead then is seek to parlay a Dodgers’ money line ticket with another game (check out our other MLB picks to find something that piques your interest). Or you could look toward something like the run total, which is not yet available but will be well before first pitch.

The past two matchups between Colorado and Los Angeles have seen run totals of seven and six, respectively. Combine that emerging trend with the Rockies’ putrid offense and the low ERA totals for both starting pitchers, and we think taking the under in this game is a worthwhile BetPicks prediction.

• Los Angeles is 9-1 on the money line in its past 10
• The UNDER has cashed in seven of the Dodgers’ past nine games
• Colorado is 2-8 on the money line in its past 10
• The UNDER has cashed in eight of the Rockies’ past nine games