The Colorado Rockies (49-63, 31-27 home) continue their three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (60-49, 25-29 away) after opening up with a blowout 16-5 victory over the visitors in the opener Tuesday night. The matchup was the first time these two National League foes had faced each other this year.
Wednesday’s first pitch has a 8:40 p.m. EST start time at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals open as the betting favorite at -155, and the over-under total is 11.5 runs.
What to Know – St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis snapped a seven-game winning streak with Tuesday’s loss but remain in a great spot in the NL Central. The Cardinals hold a one-game advantage over the Milwaukee Brewers in what is becoming a two-team race for the divisional title.
Newly acquired Jose Quintana (3-5, 3.39 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) is expected to make his second appearance on the mound in a Cardinals uniform. The former Pittsburgh Pirate was brilliant in his debut, limiting the Chicago Cubs to one run over six innings of action. This year, the veteran lefty has pitched 109.0 innings, allowing 41 earned runs on 101 hits and 33 walks, with 96 strikeouts.
Paul Goldschmidt leads the MLB with a .329 batting average and ranks fourth with 84 runs batted in. The slugging first baseman is first on the team with 26 home runs and 74 runs scored. Nolan Arenado is not far behind, blasting 22 home runs and driving in 69 runs.
On offense, the Cardinals are eighth in the majors, hitting .251 as a team and scoring 4.7 runs per game. The St. Louis pitching staff sits 16th in the league with a 3.91 team earned run average.
What to Know – Colorado Rockies
The Rockies erupted offensively Tuesday night to capture their third victory in five games. After a decent start to the year, Colorado has tumbled to the bottom of the NL West division and sit 28.5 games back of the leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lefty Kyle Freeland (7-7, 4.56 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) gets the nob on the hill for the hosts. Freeland hope to continue his winning ways on the mound and run his winning tally to four games in a row. The 29-year-old has 120.1 innings under his belt, surrendered 62 earned runs, 127 hits, 37 walks, and struck out 89 batters.
The Rockies’ offensive power sluppy comes from the bat of C.J. Cron, who’s blasted 23 home runs and driven in 79 RBIs this year. Veteran Charlie Blackmon has bounced back after a down year at the plate last season to add 16 home runs and 61 RBIs. Brendan Rodgers and Ryan McMahon have driven in 52 runs a piece.
Colorado leads the NL and is second in the MLB, batting .264 as a team while plating 4.5 runs per contest. The pitching staff for the Rockies is 28th amongst MLB teams with a 4.96 team ERA.
The Pick is In
Colorado opened up the series with a barrage of offense, and St. Louis packed it in early. The Cardinals are fighting for the top spot in their division and have played too well lately to drop two in a row to a team that sits at the bottom of their division. St. Louis bounces back Wednesday night behind the arm of Quintana and their offensive lineup.
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals ML
