Coming off a three-game road sweep over the San Diego Padres, the reigning World Series champions welcome another divisional foe for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, so here’s the best Rockies vs. Dodgers betting pick for Saturday’s middle contest with the first pitch at 9:10 PM ET. 

Excluding the opening game of this set, the Dodgers are 10-3 against the Rockies in 2021. They are heavy favorites for Saturday’s clash, according to Bookmaker Sportsbook, while the totals sit at 8.5 runs.

The Rockies are a road disaster    

The Colorado Rockies improved to 58-69 on the season following a 13-10 victory in ten innings at the Chicago Cubs last Wednesday. It was the second game of a seven-inning doubleheader, and the Rockies stopped a three-game slide. Only 15 of their 58 wins came on the road, so the Rockies will miss the postseason for the third straight year. 

Colorado has scored 67 runs on a .268/.326/.459 batting line in its last 12 outings (7-5 record). The Rockies have slugged 16 home runs and 24 extra-base hits in that stretch, but their pitching staff has registered a disappointing 4.88 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a .271 batting average.

Jon Gray (9-14, 4.13 ERA) will get the Dodgers on Saturday, and the 29-year-old righty is 0-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in four starts against LA this season. Over 21 innings of work, he’s yielded eight earned runs on 19 hits (four homers) to the Dodgers while posting a 21/8 K/BB ratio.

Gray has struggled through four starts so far this month. He’s allowed a whopping 15 earned runs on a .321 batting average and .828 OPS across 20 innings of work. 

The Dodgers are looking unstoppable at the moment

The Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 81-47 on the season after a 4-0 blanking of the Padres last Thursday. Max Scherzer fanned ten across 7.2 innings and gave up only a couple of hits and a walk, while his teammates managed to score four runs on just five hits and two free passes.

The Dodgers have won 16 of their previous 18 outings (Friday’s opener against Colorado has been excluded from the analysis). Over the last 13, they’ve recorded a sparkly 2.00 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a .158 batting average, as the Dodgers’ pitching staff continues to dominate the MLB.

David Price is expected to get the nod Saturday, and the 36-year-old southpaw has started in eight of his last nine appearances (36 innings pitched), posting a 0-2 record with a 4.00 ERA and a .215 batting average against.

Price hasn’t been at his best lately. He’s yielded nine earned runs over his last four starts and 18 frames of work, and the Dodgers have lost two of those four contests.

Trends:

Colorado:

  • 2-8 in the last ten games on the road
  • 4-13 in the last 17 games against the Dodgers

LA Dodgers:

  • 16-2 in the last 18 games overall
  • 9-2 in the last 11 games at home

Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Pick

The Dodgers have covered the 1.5-run spread just once in their last five encounters with the Rockies, but in 11 of their previous 14 wins over Colorado, the Dodgers have outlasted the Rockies by two or more runs.

Hereof, backing the Dodgers to cover seems like a way to go, as the moneyline odds on the hosts are not attractive. If you’re looking for a parlay, go with LA to win straight up. 

Pick: Take Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 at -140 

The Total:

I’ve mentioned Jon Gray’s recent struggles, while the current Dodgers are slashing .313/.423/.461 in 185 at-bats against him. The Rockies bullpen has improved a lot in the second half of the season and owns a 3.55 ERA and 3.85 FIP over the last couple of weeks, but the Dodgers could easily score more than five runs in this one.

LA has failed to surpass a five-run line in seven straight outings, though the Dodgers have played the Mets and Padres in the process. Their bullpen has registered a shiny 2.26 ERA and 3.67 FIP in the last two weeks of action, making this wager on the totals even tougher. I would stick with the hosts to win.  

Pick: Go over 8.5 runs at -125