The Colorado Rockies (24-29) and San Francisco Giants (26-27) hook up for Game 2 of a four-game series Tuesday at Oracle Park with the first pitch scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Rockies-Giants MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Monday: The Rockies won the series opener 7-2, hurting the Giants’ position in the NL wild-card race. San Francisco is a half game back out of the final playoff spot, while Colorado is 2½ back.
Rockies at Giants: Projected starting pitchers
LHP Kyle Freeland vs. LHP Drew Smyly
Freeland has rebounded from a disastrous 2019 campaign (6.73 ERA across 22 starts) by boasting a 3.75 ERA through 11 starts this season, albeit with a 6.2 K/9.
- Made four starts on the road this season, posting a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings and allowing just two homers.
- Faced the Giants twice this season, yielding 7 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings for a 7.27 ERA. He’s allowed 19 base runners, while striking out only 4.
Smyly missed more than a month with a finger injury, so he has been limited to just five appearances (three starts) this season. The skills have been impressive, though, and he brings a 3.94 ERA and 15.2 K/9 into Tuesday’s start.
- Has yet to go more than four innings this season, but still managed to rack up 8 strikeouts in each of his last two outings.
- The vast majority of the damage against him has come on the road. In three home starts, he has recorded a 3.71 ERA, and for his career, he has fared much better at home (3.85 ERA vs 5.01 on road).
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Rockies at Giants: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Rockies
- 3B Nolan Arenado (shoulder) out
Giants
- RP Trevor Gott (elbow) out
- C Chadwick Tromp (shoulder) questionable
- OF Mike Yastrzemski (calf) questionable
Rockies at Giants: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Giants 5, Rockies 3
Money line (ML)
- Rockies (+140)
- Giants (-154)
Both starters have been pitching well lately, but the Giants have the edge on offense. They rank third in wRC+ against left-handed pitching, and have had success against Freeland both times they have faced him this season.
Meanwhile, the Rockies are 22nd in wRC+ vs lefties, and 27th in the category on the road. Look for the GIANTS (-154) to come out on top.
New to sports betting? Every winning $15.40 bet on the Giants ML will profit $10. Every $10 bet on the Rockies profits $14 if they win.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
- Rockies +1.5 (-162)
- Giants -1.5 (+135)
While the Giants are likely to win the game, they aren’t a good bet to blow it wide open. It stands a pretty strong chance of being close throughout, so the recommendation here is to AVOID the run line.
Over/Under (O/U)
- Over 7.5 (-110)
- Under 7.5 (-110)
Freeland has had a good year, and Smyly has been dominant lately and is facing a weak offense without their star third baseman. Even so, you would expect a higher total on Freeland vs Smyly.
The San Francisco bats should have a decent day, and while Smyly should be solid, he isn’t likely to work deep into the game. When he departs, he’ll turn things over to a below average relief corps (19th in ERA, 26th in xFIP). This won’t be a real high scoring game, but enough runs should be scored to push the total OVER 7.5.
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