Last-Place Teams Clash as Houston Astros Visit Colorado Rockies

Colorado has struggled throughout 2021, with its 4-12 mark the worst record in baseball. The Rockies, who have lost eight of their last nine, are in last place in the NL West, 8½ games out of first place.

The MLB odds for this one have the Astros’ moneyline at -114 while the Rockies are at +104. The over/under for this contest has been set at 10½ runs.

Hoping for More

The Astros will send 24-year-old Luis Garcia to the mound to start this one, giving him his second start in three appearances. Garcia came out of the bullpen to go 4.1 innings against Detroit in a 6-2 loss on April 12 giving up just two hits and no runs while striking out seven and walking one.

Garcia struggled in his lone start, though, lasting just 3.1 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on April 5 and giving up four hits and two runs while walking three and striking out one. The right-hander has a 5.40 ERA.

Left fielder Kyle Tucker is batting just .193 on the season, but when he gets a hold of the ball, he hits it hard. Of Tucker’s 11 hits, three have been doubles and four have been home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored seven times.

First baseman Yuli Gurriel leads the Astros with a .358 batting average and has walked a team-high 12 times. He has four doubles, one home run and five RBI. Second baseman Jose Altuve has also started well, batting .318 with three doubles, a home run and five RBI, scoring a team-high 11 times.

Season-Long Struggles

When the Rockies traded away Nolan Arenado in the offseason, the thought was the tea, was working on a rebuild. But even the Colorado front office wasn’t expecting this slow of a start.

The Rockies are batting .221 as a team, with shortstop Trevor Story leading the way with a .271 average. Story has four doubles and a triple among his 16 hits, driving in five and scoring five times.

Right fielder Charlie Blackmon has gotten off to a slow start, batting just .191 with four doubles and a home run. He has seven RBI and four runs scored. Second baseman Ryan McMahon has been the power hitter for the Rockies so far, leading the team with six home runs and 10 RBI.

Colorado will have right-hander Jon Gray on the mound for the series opener. The 29-year-old is 1-1 on the season with a 2.87 ERA. He’s coming off a start against the Dodgers in which he lasted just four innings. Gray have given up five hits and three earned runs in 15.2 innings while striking out 15 and walking seven.

Astros Take Opener

Houston has the potential to break out offensively and will try to put it together at Coors Field. The Astros showed early in the season that they can be a potential playoff contender and they should be able to show that again in this series.

Colorado just doesn’t have it this season, with the team’s bats remaining mostly silent. Playing at home always helps the Rockies’ offense, but can Gray keep the Astros’ bats in check?

When making your MLB betting picks, go with Houston to get the win on Tuesday night.