Chicago Cubs (79-74) vs Colorado Rockies (56-96)
Game Info: Friday, September 22, 2023 at 2:20 pm (Wrigley Field)
Jameson Taillon (7-10) (5.27) vs Noah Davis (0-2) (9.58)
Betting Odds: Chicago Cubs -198 / Colorado Rockies +164 --- Over/Under: 8.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Colorado Rockies will play the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of their series on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs are coming off of another series loss, while Colorado was swept in San Diego.
Rockies Preview
The Colorado Rockies are 56-96 this season and they have lost four games in a row. Colorado is coming off of a series loss to the Padres, where they lost all three games. The Rockies are only 22-56 on the road this year. The Colorado pitching staff has a 5.62 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, and a .286 opponent batting average this season. The Rockies offense has scored 678 runs with a .249 batting average and a .310 on base percentage. Ryan McMahon is batting .247 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI’s for the Rockies. The projected starting pitcher for Colorado is Noah Davis, who is 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP over 20.2 innings pitched this year.
Cubs Preview
The Chicago Cubs are 79-74 this season and they have lost seven of their last eight games. Chicago is coming off of a series loss to the Pirates, where they lost two out of three games at home. The Cubs are currently tied for the last Wild Card spot in the NL. The Chicago pitching staff has a 4.11 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a .245 opponent batting average. The Cubs offense has scored 776 runs with a .255 batting average and a .330 on base percentage this year. Ian Happ is batting .248 with 19 home runs and 77 RBI’s for the Cubs. The projected starting pitcher for Chicago is Jameson Taillon, who is 7-10 with a 5.27 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP over 138.1 innings pitched this season.
Chicago Cubs Team Facts
- The Cubs have lost seven of their last eight games as favorites.
- The Cubs have failed to cover the run line each of their last eight games at Wrigley Field against NL West opponents that held a losing record.
- The Cubs have trailed after 7 innings in seven of their last nine games as favorites against National League opponents.
- The 'Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Cubs' last three day games against National League opponents.
- The Cubs have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last eight games as favorites against National League opponents.
Colorado Rockies Team Facts
- The Rockies have lost each of their last seven road games against National League opponents.
- The Rockies have covered the run line each of their last seven games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Rockies have led after 7 innings in each of their last four games against the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Dansby Swanson has hit a home run in three of the Cubs' last four home games against NL opponents.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one RBI in five of his last six home appearances against the Rockies.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded two or more total bases in each of the Cubs' last six games at Wrigley Field against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Ian Happ has scored a run in each of the Cubs' last six games as favorites.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 home appearances against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Cody Bellinger ranks 6th amongst qualified players for Batting Average (.311) this season.
Colorado Rockies Player Prop Facts
- Ryan McMahon has hit a home run in three of his last 13 appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Ryan McMahon has scored a run in four of the Rockies' last five day games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Ryan McMahon has recorded at least one hit in three of his last four road appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Ryan McMahon has recorded two or more total bases in four of his last seven appearances after not playing the previous day.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Chicago Cubs rank 7th in the league for runs scored this season (776).
- The Chicago Cubs rank T7th in the league for triples this season (27).
- The Colorado Rockies rank 30th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.286).
- The Colorado Rockies rank 30th in the league for hits allowed this season (1490).
Pick
The Cubs come into this series really struggling and they have really dropped in the NL Wild Card standings over the last week. Colorado was just swept in San Diego and they are one of the worst teams in the MLB this year. The Rockies are starting Noah Davis, who has allowed 21 earned runs in his last four outings (11 IP). The Cubs are starting Jameson Taillon, who has allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts. The Cubs haven’t played well recently, but I cannot pick the Rockies on the road. Take Chicago -1.5 here.
David’s Pick Cubs -1.5
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
