The August 8th Marlins at Rockies matchup may be somewhat of a hidden gem. Colorado is priced pretty high at -180, but have scored 21 runs in two games so far this series. Miami is not set on a starting pitcher, and will likely go with a bullpen day, meaning it should be another huge day for the Rockies offense.
The Rockies meanwhile go with Kyle Freeland (2-6, 4.46 ERA), who should be fresh following a 66 pitch outing last time out. Freeland had to leave the win over the Cubs after taking a line drive off the foot, but is by all accounts recovered and cleared for Sunday’s outing. Colorado is -105 on the -1.5 run line.
Marlins Set to Have Rough Pitching Day
Miami will do a bullpen day in the August 8th Marlins at Rockies matchup. Normally that wouldn’t be such a bad thing as the Marlins have the 4th best bullpen ERA in the majors, but the pitching staff as a whole has given up 21 runs the last two games. Sandy Alcantara lasted just 3.2 IP in Friday’s loss while Jesus Luzardo couldn’t get out of the fifth on Saturday.
It’s expected that David Hess gets the first crack at things on Sunday in his first start since 2019. The right-hander has 33 starts in his career, but has come out of the bullpen in all three of his outings this season. Hess did throw 65 pitches in 4.0 IP of long relief on July 19th vs. Washington, and that’s likely his cap for this series finale.
It’s evident that the Marlins offense will likely have some work to do in Sunday’s contest. They managed just 6 hits in Friday’s 14-2 loss (+152) and lost 7-4 on Saturday (+148) despite tying Colorado with 12 hits. That’s not a lot of production playing on warm nights in Coors Field.
Another Big Day for Colorado Bats?
Temps are once again in the 90s in Denver with a slight wind blowing out to left field. That’s music to the Rockies’ offensive ears as the team has belted out 29 hits so far in two big wins this weekend. Facing the Marlins on a bullpen day and a run total set at 11 makes that all the more likely.
C.J. Cron had 2 HR and 4 RBI in Friday’s huge win in which Colorado had 5 HR total. Cron had two more RBI on Saturday while Charlie Blackmon had a second straight multi-hit game in Saturday’s victory. Cron has hit .571 over the past week, one of six Colorado regulars batting better than .400 over that span.
The Rockies are 4-1 on their current home stand and 37-21 at Coors Field on the season. Freeland had a scare last time out vs. the Cubs, but appears to have avoided any major damage. The left-hander has allowed 2 ER or less in six of his last eight, and has a decent 4.40 ERA in Denver this season.
August 8th Marlins at Rockies Pick
This looks like a no-brainer, which is always a tough play but it’s hard to fade the Rockies right now. Miami doing a bullpen day against a scorching offense is a recipe for disaster.
Rockies 8 – Marlins 2
Free Pick: Rockies -1.5 (-105)
