Arizona Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies Prediction, Odds and Preview - 08/22/2021

Game Time: 3:10 pm ET, Sunday, August 22, 2021

Venue:  Coors Field, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet Rocky Mountain

 

Arizona Diamondbacks:  41-82 (5th place, NL West)

Colorado Rockies:  56-66 (4th place, NL West)

 

DraftKings:  Arizona Diamondbacks +155, Colorado Rockies -180, Over/Under 12

Bet365:   Arizona Diamondbacks +155, Colorado Rockies -175, Over/Under 11.5

BetMGM:  Arizona Diamondbacks +140, 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. Nick Ahmed (SS)

2. Ketel Marte (CF)

3. Asdrubal Cabrera (3B)

4. Carson Kelly (C)

5. Pavin Smith (RF)

6. Christian Walker (1B)

7. Josh Rojas (LF)

8. Drew Ellis (2B)

9. Tyler Gilbert (P)

 

Colorado:

1. Connor Joe (LF)

2. Brendan Rodgers (2B)

3. Trevor Story (SS)

4. Charlie Blackmon (RF)

5. C.J. Cron (1B)

6. Ryan McMahon (3B)

7. Elias Diaz (C)

8. Garrett Hampson (CF)

9. Austin Gomber (P)

 

Arizona:

Batting Average:  Ketel Marte (.342)

Hits:  Pavin Smith (108)

Home Runs:  Josh Rojas (11)

RBI:  David Peralta (50)

Stolen Bases:  Josh Rojas (7)

Wins:  Madison Bumgarner (7)

Saves:  Tyler Clippard (4)

ERA:  Tyler Gilbert (2.04)

 

Colorado:

Batting Average:  Chris Owings (.326)

Hits:  Raimel Tapia (114)

Home Runs:  C.J. Cron (21)

RBI:  C.J. Cron (70)

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 have been on a little run recently. They have won 3 of their last 4 MLB games and have won 6 of their last 8, including a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in their last series. The 6 games they won were all at home though, they have not done too well on the road this season where they will be in this game. The Diamondbacks have lost 5 games in a row away from Chase Field, including the series opener between these two. They have averaged more than 5 runs scored per game in their last 8. In their last 5 road games, they have averaged about 3 runs scored per game. They are facing a Colorado Rockies team that is playing very well at the moment. The Rockies managed to complete a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres in Wednesday’s finale, getting Thursday night as a rest period. They then defeated these same Diamondbacks on Friday Night in the series opener of this three-game series. The Rockies have been unbeatable at home recently, winning their last 8 games straight when playing at home. They have scored 6 or more runs in each of their last 4 games. The result of Saturday’s game tonight is still pending.

 

The Colorado Rockies head-to-head have the winning record here as they are 8-6 against this Diamondbacks team this season. The Rockies have won 5 of their last 7 games against Arizona. Colorado has been even better in their home games against the Diamondbacks sporting a 6-1 record this year when playing them at Coors Field.

 

The Arizona Diamondbacks have not had that great a year with their hitters, they are ranked in the bottom 10 of the MLB for most categories. They are ranked 21st in the league for batting average (.237), 23rd in the league for RBI (488), 15th in the league for hits (984), and they are ranked 19th in the league for OBP (.312). 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 (5.22), 29th in the league for saves (17), 28th in the league for strikeouts (949), 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 7th in the league for batting average (.251), 14th in the league for RBI (529), 8th in the league for hits (1019), and 13th in the league for OBP (.318). 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 23rd in the league for ERA (4.70), 24th in the league for saves (23), 27th in the league for Ks (961), and they are 22nd in the league for WHIP (1.37).

 

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Sunday afternoon will be the series finale between the D-backs and the Rockies. The Rockies have been a much better side than Arizona this season overall. Saturday night's matchup will feature a contest between starting pitcher's Zac Gallen and Kyle Freeland. Sunday afternoon will see Taylor Widener and Jon Gray starting on the mound for this National League West clash.

 

Taylor Widener will be the starter for the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He is 1-1 this season with a 4.59 ERA. The team has actually lost 3 of the last 4 games that he has started. In his last 5 starts, he has allowed a total of 18 earned runs, averaging a little under 4 runs allowed per game. He has faced Colorado once this season and the team lost in that one. Widener only played a little over 1 inning in that one and allowed 1 hit and 1 run, not getting credited with any earned. 

 

Jon Gray will be throwing the first pitch for the Rockies in this game on Sunday. He is 7-9 this season with a 3.93 ERA. He has been credited with 3 straight losses in his last 3 starts. He allowed at least 3 earned runs in each of those games. He has faced the Diamondbacks 4 times this season and he is 2-2 against them. Both of his losses against them were in Arizona while he is a stout 2-0 at home when playing them. In those 4 games he allowed 11 total earned runs, averaging just under 3 per game.

 

The Rockies have been playing great at home on both offense and defense and their bullpen has been a bit better this year. The Rockies odds are listed as the favorite while the Diamondbacks odds sit as underdogs yet again. This might be a trickier game when betting on but, the Rockies have put up some solid streaks at home this year and it is tough to go against that.

 

"It went to New York. They slowed it down, probably in milliseconds, and they declared that the call was right. We've got to live by that." - Torey Lovullo on a very close call in a potential scoring play that was called out on review.

 

"I love playing defense. It's always fun to make those tough plays. You don't get them very often. You get a lot of routine ones, but when you can show out and make those tough plays, man, it brings some eyes. It's awesome to make those for sure." - Brendan Rodgers on making an incredible throw to get Marte out at the plate.

 

Arizona: 19-12 for +10.2 units against NL teams that allow 5 or more runs per game.

Colorado: 26-14 for +11.4 units on the moneyline when playing against a team with a losing record.

Diamondbacks Rockies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Sunday, August 22, 2021 (3:10pm ET start time) is Rockies 7 Diamondbacks 4.

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