The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies continue their three-game series at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, with the first pitch at 8:40 PM ET, so here’s the best Dodgers vs. Rockies betting pick.  

Monday’s clash between LA and Colorado has been excluded from the analysis, while the Rockies surprisingly outlasted the Dodgers in two of their three encounters at Coors Field in the opening week. Colorado is a +184 home dog for Tuesday’s contest, and the totals sit at 11.5 runs on BetOnline Sportsbook.

The Dodgers are heating up again                                            

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the Rockies series carrying the NL West-best 45-26 record. They had a rough patch in the first half of June, but the Dodgers have won eight of their previous 11 games overall, including a couple of road victories over the reigning champs, the Atlanta Braves, who have been ridiculously good in the last few weeks. 

Clayton Kershaw will get the starting call Thursday and shoot for his second straight win. Last Thursday, the 34-year-old southpaw dominated the Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and struck out seven across seven innings of a one-run ball. 

Kershaw is 5-1 with a pristine 2.00 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 0.91 WHIP in eight starts (45 innings) this season. The three-time Cy Young Award winner spent more than a month on the IL due to a back injury. Since rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation in June, Kershaw has allowed four earned runs on 15 hits across 15 innings of work (three starts). 

The Rockies lost two straight series        

The Colorado Rockies wrapped up their six-game road trip with a 6-3 defeat at Target Field in Minneapolis this past Sunday. They’ve got swept by the Marlins in Miami and won 1-0 in the opening clash of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins, who blanked the Rockies 6-0 in Saturday’s middle contest. 

Colorado was sitting bottom of the NL West on Monday, 15 games behind the Dodgers and nine behind the bottom wild card in the National League. Kris Bryant was in the Rockies’ lineup on Monday, returning from his second stint on the IL this season. The four-time All-Star is slashing .270/.342/.333 across 73 plate appearances in 2022. 

Kyle Freeland will take the mound Tuesday and face the Dodgers for the second time this season. The 29-year-old lefty was charged for a loss in a 5-3 defeat to LA on Opening Day, allowing five earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks across 3.2 innings of work. Freeland is 3-5 with a 4.29 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 14 starts (79.2 frames) in 2022 and has a nice 3.00 ERA in June (four starts, 27 IP). 

Trends:

LA Dodgers: 

  • 8-3 in the last 11 games overall 
  • 13-6 in the last 19 road games against Colorado 

Colorado:

  • 1-5 in the last six games overall 
  • 3-7 in the last ten games at home 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies Pick 

Pitching at Coors Field is a challenge for any major-league starter. Clayton Kershaw has a 4.57 ERA in 24 career starts (two complete games) and 145.2 innings of work in Denver (11-6 record). On the other side, Kyle Freeland is 25-21 with a 4.55 ERA in 67 career starts and three relief appearances at home. 

Both teams have a solid record against these two pitchers, and the Dodgers already trounced Freeland on Opening Day. LA’s bullpen should make the difference down the stretch, so give me the Dodgers at moneyline odds. The price is not attractive, but the Rockies are always dangerous when hitting at home. 

Pick: Take Los Angeles Dodgers at -201                         

The Total:

The current Dodgers have a .607 OPS in 177 at-bats against Kyle Freeland, but some of them are hitting the Rockies’ southpaw very well. Justin Turner is 13-for-43, Chris Taylor is 7-for-26 with a couple of home runs, while Will Smith is 3-for-7 with a solo homer. On the other side, the Rockies have a .741 OPS in 126 at-bats against Clayton Kershaw. Charlie Blackmon is 18-for-66 with four dingers, while Kris Bryant is 4-for-13 with a pair of home runs. 

I lean toward the under because of the Dodgers’ bullpen, but you never know what can happen at Coors Field. The Dodgers’ relievers have a sharp 2.55 ERA and 2.64 FIP in the last ten days and 35.1 innings of work, while the Rockies’ bullpen has a 4.21 ERA and 4.41 FIP across 25.2 frames in that span. 

Pick: Go under 11.5 runs at -120