Sports Betting Picks

Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Preview

Amid a shortened 2020 MLB season, every game matters a whole lot more. Both the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks have to feel the urgency of that sentiment as they continue their NL West series on Wednesday night.

The two teams are pushing to remain out of the bottom of the division, and more importantly, to stay in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. Things are far from settled at this point, but currently, the Rockies, who are teetering on the .500 mark and the D’Backs, who sit below it, both have serious work to do.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the clear-cut favorites to win the division, but the division-rival San Diego Padres are also in prime position to land a Wild Card spot.

When the Rockies and Diamondbacks meet Wednesday, it sets up an exciting matchup of talented pitchers who have both struggled to start the season.

Betting Odds & Info

Betting odds (courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook): Colorado Rockies (+106) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (-122)

Over/Under: 9.5 runs

Pitchers: Jon Gray (1-3, 6.23 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (1-3, 8.33 ERA)

It’s been a brutal start to the 2020 season for both Jon Gray and Robbie Ray. Gray is coming off three consecutive seasons with a positive win-loss record while posting an ERA of 3.84 in 2019. As for Ray, his ERA has been between 2.89 and 4.34 over the past three seasons but has declined each year.

The pitching will certainly be a talking point in this game, especially if one of the two is able to right the ship on Wednesday night. For Ray, who’s a lefty, potential matchups with Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, and a few others could spell trouble.

Prediction & Pick

Typically, the home-field advantage would at least play a role in a matchup like this, but while the Rockies do have to travel, we know there aren’t currently real fans in stadiums anywhere in baseball. That aspect of MLB is now off the table, making a game like this just a bit tougher to pick.

Considering the struggles of both pitchers this season and the fact that the two teams have had losing skids of at least six games within the past 1-2 weeks, I’m inclined to target the over in this game as the bet.

When evaluating how a few batters on both sides have fared against the likes of Gray and Ray, there were a few interesting takeaways. According to Swish Analytics, both David Peralta and Ketel Marte have averaged .500 or better against Gray, although they’ve homered.

Those two names are the main ones to note, but on the Rockies side, there’s been major success against Ray over the years.

  • Charlie Blackmon: 23 hits in 49 ABs, .469 average, 5 HRs
  • Nolan Arenado: 15 hits in 43 ABs, .349 average, 3 HRs
  • Matt Kemp: 8 hits in 19 ABs, .421 average, 2 HRs
  • Trevor Story: 8 hits in 28 ABs, .286 average, 3 HRs, 7 BBs

The Rockies have several hitters, even just on the surface, who have done well against Ray in their careers. When factoring that information in and pairing it with his current struggles, I think betting against him on Wednesday is a solid play.

Going beyond that, the Diamondbacks’ success against Gray adds to the intrigue around betting the over.

Pick: Colorado Rockies +106

Bonus pick: Over 9.5 runs (-102)

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