In the first game, Arizona emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, thanks to DH Pavin Smith’s three-run home run and OF Lourdes Gurriell Jr’s solo shot. Rockies 2B Ryan McMahon put up a good fight with his 4-4 performance, including a home run and three RBI, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure a win.
Rockies’ lefty Kyle Freeland is an underdog with +205 odds, while Diamondbacks’ righty Zac Gallen is favored with odds of -250. Stay tuned for our predictions on who will come out on top in Tuesday night’s matchup between the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are currently sitting at the bottom of the National League West standings and are lagging behind by eight games compared to the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to this series, the Rockies had a two-game winning streak and have won five out of their last 10 games. However, their record away from home is not impressive at 9-16.
OH MY McMAHON 💥
Make that 4 straight games with a homer! pic.twitter.com/eH7v5duthL
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 29, 2023
Colorado has the highest batting average in the National League, but their wRC+ ranking is only 11th due to their lack of power and producing timely hits. The team’s lack of power is evident and the Rockies are currently at the bottom of the league in stolen bases.
Elias Diaz, the team’s catcher, leads in several offensive categories, including OPS, SLG, wOBA, and wRC+. Meanwhile, OF Ryan McMahon has the most home runs and RBI and has blasted a homer in each of his last four contests while Charlie Blackmon has a .297 batting average and five bombs along with 22 RBI.
When it comes to pitching, Freeland (4-5, 3.86) has been struggling lately, having allowed 12 earned runs in his last 25 innings. Additionally, his performance on the road has not been great, with a 1-3 record and a 4.71 ERA. His xFIP, which is currently at 4.86, doesn’t bode well for the Rockies’ ace against this Diamondbacks offense.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have a good chance of securing first place in the NL West after this series, if they’re lucky. They’re currently 1.5 games behind the Dodgers and are hoping to bounce back from a recent home series loss to Boston. They’ve won six of their previous 10 games and have a 15-12 record at Chase Field.
Zac Gallen, Wicked Knuckle Curves. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/qfHmONHAZG
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 24, 2023
While the Diamondbacks are ranked 3rd in the National League in batting average, they’re 6th in wRC+ and are better at getting on base than generating runs. They have a 3rd place ranking in strikeout rate and a 12th place ranking in walk rate, but they do have some power and are 4th in swipes.
Offensively, SS Geraldo Perdomo leads the team in WAR and OPS, while 1B Christian Walker is the top home run threat and RBI man for the team. Rookie Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks with 14 stolen bases this season.
Gallen (6-2, 2.97) is the team’s ace and has allowed only 12 earned runs in his last 29 innings. He’s unbeaten at Chase Field with a perfect 5-0 record and a 0.97 ERA, while striking out 12.09 batters per nine frames at home this season.
Rockies – Diamondbacks Best Bet: Diamondbacks -1.5 -103 DraftKings
Gallen is undefeated at home, Freeland has been a gas can on the road and my best bet is for the Diamondbacks -1.5 -103.
The Diamondbacks are large favorites Tuesday night and Gallen is a beast at home. He’s dominated the Rockies over his brief career and we expect that trend to continue.
Arizona does a good job hitting left-handed pitching and Freeland has allowed 11 earned runs over 21 away innings. The Diamondbacks offense isn’t elite against lefties but they’ve slashed .274/.335/.506/.885 with eight home runs and 24 RBI over 164 career at-bats against Freeland.
Finally, Gallen has stymied this collection of Rockies over his career and the Cy Young candidate enjoys nearly six runs of support when he toes the slab. Gallen has been outstanding at home, Arizona is one of the most profitable teams on the run line this season and Diamondbacks -1.5 -103 at DraftKings is your best bet.
