Free Picks: Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Jordan Horrobin
By: Jordan Horrobin
04/16/2021
MLB Free Picks – Best Bets of the Week
Rockies vs Dodgers Week 3
Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Dodger Stadium

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.

Rockies are condemned to rocky road when facing world champion Dodgers

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.

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FREE PICK: DODGERS MONEY LINE; UNDER RUN TOTAL
-303

Stats

  • 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

Jordan Horrobin is a freelance sports journalist based in Toronto, Ontario, who enjoys sports-related research and telling engaging stories. His work can also be found at Sportsnet, Forbes and elsewhere. Though he abandoned most of his team-specific fandoms in the interest of unbiased analysis, Jordan roots hard for his fantasy football/hockey teams (and he's a complete homer for all things Ohio University).

MLB - AL East

TeamWLGB%
NY Yankee61250.0.709
Boston474014.5.540
Tampa Bay464015.0.535
Toronto454216.5.517
Baltimore434418.5.494

 

MLB - AL Central

TeamWLGB%
Minnesota48400.0.545
Cleveland42424.0.500
Chi White Sox41445.5.482
Detroit365111.5.414
Kansas City345213.0.395

 

MLB - AL West

TeamWLGB%
Houston56290.0.659
Seattle454212.0.517
Texas404415.5.476
LA Angels384919.0.437
Oakland295928.5.330

 

MLB - NL East

TeamWLGB%
NY Mets54330.0.621
Atlanta52362.5.591
Philadelphia46418.0.529
Miami414412.0.482
Washington305824.5.341

 

MLB - NL Central

TeamWLGB%
Milwaukee48390.0.552
St. Louis47422.0.528
Pittsburgh375011.0.425
Chi Cubs345213.5.395
Cincinnati325415.5.372

 

MLB - NL West

TeamWLGB%
LA Dodgers56290.0.659
San Diego50387.5.568
San Francisco434112.5.512
Arizona384818.5.442
Colorado384919.0.437

 

2021 Season Key Dates
Regular SeasonApril 1 – October 3
MLB DraftJuly 11-13
All-Star GameJuly 13
Trade DeadlineJuly 30
Playoffs BeginOctober 5
World SeriesOctober 26