The Colorado Rockies will host the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals beat the Rockies 9-5 on Wednesday, bringing their record to 61-49. They've now won eight of their last nine, and they're one of the hottest teams in baseball. Colorado is 49-64 after the defeat, their eighth loss of 11.
This series has featured a ton of offense, so we'll see if the starting pitchers can reverse that trend. St. Louis has a slim one-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers that they'll want to extend on Thursday.
"#THATSAWINNER" - Cardinals
Colorado will go with German Marquez for Thursday's game. He is 6-9 with a 5.18 ERA through 21 starts. The Cardinals offense is averaging a whopping six runs per game in their previous seven, and at Coors Field, they can definitely put up some crooked numbers.
Marquez has had a bad season but has been better lately, sporting a 3.13 ERA in his past five starts. Marquez also has a 4.00 expected FIP indicating that his results have been unlucky so far this year. He is carrying a 6.11 ERA while home this season, though, which isn't surprising given his home field. Look for him to try to slow down this red-hot Cardinals club.
Dakota Hudson will be on the hill Thursday. He is 6-6 with a 4.20 ERA in 20 starts this season. The Colorado offense he'll face ranks ninth in runs per game in the MLB, and in their past seven, they've averaged 5.9 runs per contest.
Last start, Hudson threw four innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs in a win over the New York Yankees. The St. Louis right-hander has been poor away from home this year, carrying a 5.25 road ERA this season, so he could struggle again Thursday.
"Them: "How many times have you watched @Ry_McMahon's 495 ft home run?" - Rockies
Colorado has fared much better at home offensively. They'll look to knock Hudson out early in this one.
Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Match Details
Fixture: St. Louis Cardinals @ Colorado Rockies
Date & Time: Thursday, August 11, 3:10 p.m. EDT
Venue: Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Odds
Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Best Picks
Lars Nootbaar will take his cuts against Marquez on Thursday. Nootbaar is slugging an impressive .579 in his previous 38 at-bats. Also, versus righties on the year, he has a .456 SLG. He's already picked up three extra-base hits in the first two games of the series, so look for him to keep seeing the ball well at Coors Field.
Pick: Lars Nootbaar Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)
Colorado Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Betting Prediction
The Cardinals have dominated the Rockies in recent history, and they've been firing on all cylinders the last couple of weeks. Expect another high-scoring game as we've already seen 35 runs come across in two games this series. Back the road team here to notch another series victory.
Prediction: Cardinals -1.5 (+125) & Over 12 (-105)