Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Weekend Series Preview, Odds, Prediction

This weekend will feature a National League battle of fourth-place teams as the Colorado Rockies (25-38) take on the Cincinnati Reds (29-31). The Rockies sit in fourth in the N.L West, 14 games behind San Francisco, while the Reds are five games behind Milwaukee and Chicago in the N.L Central.

This will be a three-game matchup between the two teams this weekend. The Reds will host this series at the Great American Ballpark.

Colorado comes into this series, having lost two of three from the Miami Marlins this week. In the finale on Thursday, the Rockies lost 11-4 to Miami. In the loss, Brendan Rodgers hit his second home run of the season, but Chi Chi Gonzalez gave up eight runs in just five innings.

The Reds had a missed opportunity as they lost two of three to the division-leading Brewers in their last series. On Thursday, Cincinnati lost 7-2. In the loss, Joey Votto hit his sixth home run of the season, but Luis Castillo (2-9) got another loss after giving up three runs in 5.2 innings.

Schedule

The Schedule for the three-game series at the Great American Ballpark is as follows:

• Friday, June 11 - 7:10 pm ET
• Saturday, June 12 - 4:10 pm ET
• Sunday, June 13 - 1:10 pm ET

Pitching Matchup

Here is the pitching matchup for each game of the series:

• Friday: Kyle Freeland (0-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (5-2, 3.32 ERA)
• Saturday: German Marquez (4-5, 3.91 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (5-4, 2.96 ERA)
• Sunday: Antonio Senzatela (2-6, 4.62 ERA) vs. TBD

Looking At Odds

Only five games back in the division, the Reds are +1200 to win the N.L. Central. The Rockies are +30000 to win the N.L. West.

In terms of winning the World Series, the Cincinnati Reds are +7000 to do so while the Colorado Rockies are +30000.

By The Numbers

The Reds continue to be one of the best scoring teams in MLB. They currently rank fourth overall averaging 4.92 runs per game. The Rockies rank 16th averaging 4.27 runs per game (only 2.46 on the road this year).

Defensively, these are two of the worst teams in all of baseball. The Rockies rank 25th, allowing opponents 4.95 runs per game. Cincinnati ranks 29th, allowing an average of 5.29 runs per game.

Rockies Try To Improve On Dreadful Road Record

With only four teams having a worse winning percentage than Colorado (.397), Rockies fans are probably getting more excited about the draft and trade deadline than anticipating a Rockies turnaround.

One of the biggest issues for Colorado has been their road record. While they are really strong at home (20-14), they have by far the worst road record in MLB (5-24).

Offensively, the team has been led by second baseman Ryan McMahon. This season he is hitting .254/.306/.487 with a team-leading 13 home runs and 34 runs batted in.

Recently returning from injury, the Rockies hope to get more output from shortstop Trevor Story. This season he is hitting .257/.325/.422 with just five home runs and 23 runs batted in over 187 at-bats.

A strong second half from Story may not only help Colorado in the standings, but it also might help them at the trade deadline as the impending free agent is a likely trade candidate.

Cincinnati Hopes For Strong Homestand Against Struggling Rockies

Despite losing their last series, the Reds come into this one playing relatively well as they have won five of their last seven. Cincinnati will hope to improve on their 13-16 home record to pick up some ground in their division.

Jesse Winker has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball this season. He currently leads the team in home runs (17), runs scored (46), and is tied for the lead in runs batted in (38). He is also hitting .346/.413/.645.

Aside from Winker, the Reds have plenty of power and can put runs up in a hurry. Along with Winker (17), the Reds have three others with double-digit home runs in Eugenio Suarez (13), Nick Castellanos (12), and Tyler Naquin (11).

Series That Reds Need To Win

Especially with Sonny Gray being put on the injured list with a groin strain, the Reds’ offense needs to continue to carry the team to some wins.

This is where having the Rockies come to town is an advantage. At 5-24, the Rockies have been brutal on the road, and Cincinnati needs to pounce on this.

Granted, the Reds have had their own issues at home, but this should be a series win for Cincinnati, if not a sweep.