The Los Angeles Dodgers (3-2, 3-2 home) battle the Colorado Rockies (2-3, 2-3 away) in game two of a two-game series between a pair of opponents in the National League West. Los Angeles opened up the series with a 13-4 victory over Colorado on Monday night.
Tuesday’s first pitch is at 10:10 p.m. EST inside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is a heavy moneyline favorite (-265) while the over/under total is 7.5 runs.
What to Know – Colorado Rockies
Colorado will try to end a three-game losing skid on the road after beginning the season with a pair of victories. The Rockies return home after Tuesday’s contest to begin their first homestand of the 2023 season.
The expected starter for the visitors is right-hander German Marquez (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP). Marquez aims to build on his Opening Day outing where he tossed six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out five. The 28-year old finished 9-13 in 2022 with a 5.00 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 181.2 innings of work.
First baseman C.J. Cron already appears to be in midseason form at the dish. The slugger has connected on three home runs over the first five games, driving in a team-high seven runs batted in. Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon are both hitting .350 (7-for-20) through the first week of the season.
What to Know – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have a trend going early in the year where they win a game, lose a game. Los Angeles, one of the preseason favorites to win the NL, have averaged over 10 runs in their victories and just one run per game in their losses.
Southpaw Julio Urias (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP) looks to improve to 2-0 in Tuesday’s start after picking up a victory in the season-opener. Urias surrendered a pair of runs on four hits against the Diamondbacks, striking out six over six innings. The Dodger ace was 17-7 in 2022 with a 2.16 ERA and 166 strikeouts over 175.0 innings on the hill.
Los Angeles has an offensive lineup that is riddled with All-Stars but it has been Trayce Thompson who has stolen the headlines and the dish through the first five games. Thompson is 3-of-9 this season, all home runs, and eight RBIs. Freddie Freeman continues to terrorize pitching, hitting .421 (8-of-19) over the first five contests with four runs scored.
The Pick is In
Two good offenses go against a pair of good starters in this Tuesday night matchup. Look for Marquez and Urias to contain the offenses through the first few innings of play, but both offenses will open up during the middle innings. This one won’t go over the run total by much, but Colorado and Los Angeles are too good at the dish to not score a handful of runs apiece even against the best pitching.
The Pick: Los Angeles/Colorado OVER 7.5 runs
