If you like to bet on MLB favorites then the San Francisco Giants are your team for Tuesday’s matchups. It’s important for the Giants to capitalize on being the favorite, as their lead in the NL west has slowly been chipped away at by the Dodgers. Entering the game on Tuesday night the Giants have won 17 out of their last 23 games since June 11th, and there are plenty of other reasons why San Fran is the favorite heading into Tuesday’s matchup. Let’s check out the odds before we begin our analysis:
The Rockies are currently pegged at +1/2 (+125) 3 1/2 (EV) +205 while the Giants are sitting at -1/2 (-145) 31/2 (-120) -235. If sportsbook users want to compare with other teams’ odds before you place your bet on MLB games then you can find the rest of the odds for Mondays’ matchups here. So who came out on top in the first game of the series?
The Giants’ were able to win when these teams faced each other on Monday, pulling off a 3-1 victory. Jake Peavy lead his team to a victory behind a solid pitching performance, striking out 6 over 6 2/3 innings. This time Peavy walked off to a standing ovation, a much cheerful response than earlier in the year when he was met with boos.
Unlike last time the Rockies will have Tyler Chatwood at the mound. This will be Chatwood’s first time pitching since he strained his middle back on June 18th. Chatwood is 5-0 with a 1.25 ERA in seven road starts; his ERA leads the NL among qualified starters. Before being injured Chatwood was able to lead the Rockies to five wins out of his previous six starts.
Chatwood isn’t the only player returning for the Rockies. Trevor Story, who plays shortstop, is expected to make his return to the starting lineup for Colorado. Meanwhile, the Giants will also be expecting Sergio Romo, the bearded reliever, to return for them. This season the Giants bullpen has blown 16 save opportunities, second only to the Cincinnati Reds. Romo will be looking to make sure that number doesn’t go up.
The Giants will be relying on Madison Bumgarner to lead the charge. This is good news for sportsbook users who were looking to bet on MLB favorites; Bumgarner has only allowed three runs in 13 1/3 innings facing Colorado during 2016. Overall Bumgarner holsters a 9-4 record with a 2.20 ERA.
Statistics in general paint a very good picture for the Giants heading into Tuesday’s late-night matchup. San Francisco currently has the 11th best rated offense, with a mean of 4.73 runs per match. This high-geared offense will be facing off against a lowly Colorado defense. The Rockies defense is ranked 28th overall in runs allowed per-game, with an average of 5.37 runs.
The Giants have plenty of reasons to win as they need to establish their lead in the NL West. Will Chatwood’s return be enough for the Rockies to scrape by an upset? Let us know who you picked for Tuesday’s matchup in the comments below.
