27th Sept - Rockies vs Dodgers

Sat in last place in the National League West division, there’s not been much for the Colorado Rockies to play for in a while, but they’ve clearly enjoyed playing spoiler against an LA Dodgers team that entered the series knowing that it could wrap up the NL West division title with a sweep.

Instead, the Rockies have proven to be stiff competition winning games one and two by 7-4 and 8-6 score-lines. It’s difficult to rationalise a third victory with Chris Rusin on the mound. He’s o-2 with a 10.38 ERA in his last three starts, but he did post a reasonable outing in LA against the Dodgers earlier this season.

He’ll be looking for run support and Carlos Gonzalez has certainly been providing that lately. He hit last night’s walk-off home run, he’s 5 for 8 in the series and has generally done very well against the Dodgers with a career .383 batting average against them.

LA’s pitcher, Alex Wood, will be missing some run support of his own on Sunday. Adrian Gonzalez is expected to miss a second straight game, the first baseman was scratched from last night’s game with a pinched nerve.

On the bright side, Wood has been pitching well in recent games with an ERA under three over his last six starts. The Dodgers’ magic number to wrap up a record third consecutive division title remains at two games.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Wood wins pitching match-up

The Rockies are hitting well, but they run into a pitcher who is throwing the ball well on Sunday night. Wood has looked pretty good through most of the season, without getting run support, but we think he should have plenty against Rusin tonight.

2. Records don’t lie

The difference between these teams all season long has been apparent. The Dodgers have lost six of their last eight, but it’s only a stumble for a ball club that will wrap up the NL West at some point this week. They’ll find a way to beat an inferior opponent on Sunday.

3. Defence (fielding)

The Rockies are top 10 in the MLB in terms of errors committed, while the Dodgers are one of the best. We’re expecting superior defence to be a factor in a game where the ball will be hit hard.