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The Colorado Rockies (21-40) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (29-31) Thursday in the opener of a 4-game set at Busch Stadium at 7:45 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rockies vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; split last season 3-3
The Rockies enter on a 5-game losing streak as they were swept at home by the Cincinnati Reds to open the week. They got out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning Wednesday but ultimately fell 12-7 after allowing 8 runs in the final 2 innings. Rockies 3B Ryan McMahon is fueling the offense with a .278 BA, 10 HR and 34 RBIs.
The Cards avoided a 3-game sweep Wednesday with a 4-2 road victory over the Houston Astros. They went 4-5 on the trip, which is somewhat respectable facing the Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Astros. Cardinals 2B Nolan Gorman is tearing the cover off the ball. He’s hitting .310 with 6 HR and 10 RBIs over the last 15 days.
Rockies at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Cal Quantrill vs. RHP Sonny Gray
Quantrill (4-4, 3.84 ERA) makes his 13th start. He has a 1.29 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 6.6 K/9 in 68 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 1 K in 4-1 setback Saturday at Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1 career start vs. STL: No-decision, 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K July 27, 2021
Gray (7-3, 3.00 ERA) makes his 11th start. He has a 1.05 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 12.2 K/9 in 57 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 10 K in 6-1 defeat Saturday at Phillies
- 1 career start vs. Rockies (at Coors): No-decision, 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 9 K in 3-2 loss with Cincinnati Reds July 12, 2019
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Rockies at Cardinals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rockies +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Cardinals -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rockies +1.5 (-110) | Cardinals -1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Rockies at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 6, Rockies 3
Moneyline
The Cards are expecting a packed house, as they’re giving away a Star Wars-themed Jordan Walker bobblehead. Their best pitcher is on the mound, and closer Ryan Helsley should be available after nailing down his 20th save on just 8 pitches Wednesday.
We’re not spending -225 on the ML, but I will present some options.
Gray has walked 2+ in 4 straight starts. You can take SONNY GRAY OVER 1.5 WALKS (+130).
I also like NOLAN GORMAN OVER 0.5 TOTAL BASES (-150) and NOLAN GORMAN OVER 1.5 H+R+RBI (+100). Gorman went 0-for-4 Wednesday, but 2 of them were caught at the wall. He went 6-for-12 (.500) with 4 HR in his previous 3 games.
Run line/Against the spread
The Cards are 13-12 on the RL at home. They’re 6-3 in their last 9 meetings with the Rockies, and 5 of those victories were by multiple runs. The Rockies are just 8-23 away from Coors and are hitting just .233 on the road.
Take the CARDINALS -1.5 (-110).
Over/Under
It’s a humid, 80 degrees with a 13-mph wind blowing out to right-center. While Helsley should be available in the Cards’ pen, they’re likely down a couple of setup guys. That should be enough of an opening for the Rockies to put up the 3-4 runs needed to cash the OVER 7 (-120).
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