Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies Prediction, Odds and Preview - 08/20/2021

Game Time: 8:40pm ET, Friday, August 20, 2021

Venue:  Coors Field, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet Rocky Mountain

Arizona Diamondbacks: 41-81 (5th place, NL West)

Colorado Rockies: 55-66 (4th place, NL West)

DraftKings:  Arizona Diamondbacks +145, Colorado Rockies -165, Over/Under 12

Bet365:  Arizona Diamondbacks +150, Colorado Rockies -170, Over/Under 11.5

BetMGM:  Arizona Diamondbacks +135, Colorado Rockies -165, Over/Under 11.5

Arizona: Kole Calhoun (RF) Out indefinitely due to a hamstring injury.

Colorado:  Raimel Tapia (LF) Out indefinitely with a toe injury.

Arizona:

1. Josh Rojas (RF)

2. Josh Vanmeter (2B)

3. David Peralta (LF)

4. Christian Walker (1B)

5. Daulton Varsho (CF)

6. Drew Ellis (3B)

7. Nick Ahmed (SS)

8. Bryan Holaday (C) 

9. Madison Bumgarner (P)

 

Colorado:

1. Connor Joe (LF)

2. Garrett Hampson (CF)

3. Charlie Blackmon (RF)

4. Trevor Story (SS)

5. C.J. Cron (1B)

6. Ryan McMahon (3B)

7. Alan Trejo (2B)

8. Dom Nunez (C) 

9. Chi Chi Gonzalez (P)

 

Arizona:

Batting Average:  Ketel Marte (.338)

Hits:  Pavin Smith (106)

Home Runs:  Josh Rojas (11)

RBI:  David Peralta (49)

Stolen Bases:  Josh Rojas (7)

Wins:  Madison Bumgarner (7)

Saves:  Tyler Clippard (4)

ERA:  Tyler Gilbert (0.00)

 

Colorado:

Batting Average:  Chris Owings (.326)

Hits:  Raimel Tapia (114)

Home Runs:  C.J. Cron (21)

RBI:  C.J. Cron (68)

Stolen Bases:  Raimel Tapia (19)

Wins:  German Marquez (11)

Saves:  Daniel Bard (20)

ERA:  Jordan Sheffield (3.26)

 

Arizona: Torey Lovullo (5th season)

Colorado: Bud Black (5th season)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming into this game playing red hot recently. They have won their last 3 games straight and have won 6 of their last 7. Those 7 games were all at home though, they will be on the road for this one where their luck has not been as good. The Diamondbacks have lost their last 4 games on the road. They have been averaging over 5 runs scored per game in their last 7 but they only had 1 game where they scored more than 2 runs in their last 4 road games. They are facing a Colorado Rockies team that is also red hot right now coming off of a three-game series sweep of the San Diego Padres. The Rockies have been great at home currently on a 7 game win streak there. In their last 3 games at home, they scored at least 6 runs in each game.

 

The Colorado Rockies have the slight advantage here in the series history as they are 7-6 against the Diamondbacks this season. The Diamondbacks have only won 2 of their last 6 encounters with the Rockies. The Rockies have an even bigger advantage when playing at home against the Diamondbacks, the Rockies are 5-1 at home against them this year.

 

The Arizona Diamondbacks have not had that great a year when it comes to hitting, they are ranked in the bottom 10 of the MLB for most categories. They are ranked 22nd in the league for batting average (.236), 22nd in the league for RBI (484), 16th in the league for hits (973), and they are ranked 20th in the league for OBP (.311). They have had an even worse year when it comes to pitching, ranking even lower in the MLB than they are for hitting. They are ranked 29th in the league for ERA (5.21), 29th in the league for saves (17), 28th in the league for strikeouts (946), and they are ranked 29th in the league for WHIP (1.44).

 

The Colorado Rockies have had a decent year when it comes to hitting, they still rank in the top half of the MLB for most categories. They are ranked 8th in the league for batting average (.250), 15th in the league for RBI (520), 10th in the league for hits (1004), and 16th in the league for OBP (.317). The Rockies definitely have a major disadvantage in the pitching game as they rank in the bottom 10 of the MLB for all the major categories. The Rockies are ranked 24th in the league for ERA (4.70), 24th in the league for saves (23), 27th in the league for Ks (954), and they are 22rd in the league for WHIP (1.37).

 

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The Colorado Rockies definitely have the advantage in this matchup when it comes down to the stats. Not only are they better in the hitting department but, they blow them away in the pitching department as well as the Diamondbacks are one of the worst in the league. Friday marks the beginning of a three-game series between these two National League West Rivals. 

 

The Diamondbacks will have rookie pitcher Tyler Gilbert as the projected starting pitcher for this game on Friday night. Gilbert is 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA this season. He has only played in four MLB games this season, starting just one of those games. The one game that he did start in was the last game he played in. He pitched great in that one, playing all 9 innings and shutting out the San Diego Padres as the D-backs went on to win that one 7-0. Between the four games he has played in this year, he has a little over 12 innings of work. He has only played in one road game this season, playing just 2 innings in that one. Although he did not allow any runs in that one, this will be his first actual start on the road in the MLB and he must face a Rockies team that has won 7 straight at home, putting up 6 or more runs in each of their last 3. Time to see what he is made of here.

 

Austin Gomber will be throwing the first pitch for the Rockies in this game on Friday. Gomber is 9-7 on the season with a 4.09 ERA. He was credited with a loss in 2 of the last 3 games that he started in. He has allowed a total of 9 earned runs in those 3 starts. Overall, he has pitched pretty good this season though. He has made 10 appearances for his team this year and has allowed a total of 46 earned runs, averaging just a little over 2 per game. He has also pitched a lot better at home than on the road. He is 5-1 this season when pitching at home and the team is 6-2 in the home games that he has started in. 

 

BetMGM sportsbook has the Rockies listed as a pretty heavy favorite, and that is completely understandable. The Rockies are a much better team on both sides of the ball, hitting and pitching. These two teams have also been trending in complete opposite directions recently. The Diamondbacks have strung together a few losses in a row on the road now while the Col Rockies seem to be unbeatable at Coors Field. The choice seems pretty obvious here on who is taking this game.

 

"Everything was working today. Kept that same feel that we've had going. Quick outs, weak contact, faster-paced game." - Madison Bumgarner on their big 6-2 win against the Phillies on Thursday.

 

"The five guys who pitched, they got punched a little but they put their dukes up and responded back with some swings of their own." - Bud Black on the pitching performance his team gave in the final game of the series sweep of the Padres.

 

Arizona: 18-11 on the money line against NL teams that are allowing over 4.5 runs per game this season

Colorado: 25-12 on the moneyline at home against NL teams with a batting average worse than .245.

Diamondbacks Rockies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 20, 2021 (8:40pm ET start time) is Rockies 7 Diamondbacks 2.

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