Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Oracle Park, San Francisco, California, 9:45 p.m. ET
Rockies at Giants Betting Preview: Rockies (+120), Giants (-133)
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies (24-29) enjoyed scoreboard-watching before and during their 7-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. Colorado caught a break when four of the five teams against which it is competing for two National League wild cards lost on Monday, with the only winner (Cincinnati) beating another team in the group (Milwaukee).
The Rockies are now just 2 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot with seven to play. But they will move forward without star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who had to go in the injured list because of inflammation in the AC joint in his left shoulder. Colorado beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Giants on Sunday and Monday, respectively, without Arenado.
Left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-2, 3.75 ERA) doesn’t have any personal wins to show for his past nine starts, dating back to Aug. 1. However, he does have a pair of team wins over the Giants in that span, thanks to generous offensive support in 6-4 and 9-6 victories in Colorado. In 14 career starts against San Francisco, he is 6-3 with a 3.60 ERA.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants (26-27) blew a chance to move up in the NL wild-card race — and all but eliminate Colorado in the process — with their Monday loss in the opener of a four-game series against the Rockies. The defeat was San Francisco’s fifth in seven head-to-head matchups with Colorado this season.
As the Giants await the return of Mike Yastrzemski from a calf injury, they welcomed back Alex Dickerson from the paternity list on Monday, and the proud papa banged out a single, a double and a home run. Yastrzemski remains a possibility to return as early as Tuesday.
The Giants will show off their good-luck charm in the second game of the series when they start left-hander Drew Smyly (0-0, 3.94 ERA). Don’t be fooled by the zero in the win column. Smyly has started three games this season, and the Giants have won them all, including 9-3 in his most recent effort, Wednesday against Seattle. Smyly has started against the Rockies just once in his career, a 2016 game at Denver in which he gave up five runs in five innings.
Rockies at Giants Betting Pick for September 22, 2020
When the Rockies woke up Tuesday morning, they realized even after catching every break on Monday night, they still must pass three teams to sneak into the postseason. And the reality is: Arenado won’t be around to help them.
The Giants have responded well to adversity this season, and if nothing else, Monday’s blowout allowed them to rest their key relievers. Getting Yastrzemski back would help but might not be necessary in this one.
Rockies at Giants Betting Pick:
Giants 10, Rockies 6
Rockies at Giants Best Bet for September 22, 2020
One thing has helped both Freeland and Smyly win games this season despite not pitching all that well: big-time offensive support. Expect fireworks in a stadium that has failed to live up to its previous pitchers-park reputation this season.
Rockies at Giants Best Bet: OVER 8 total runs (-108)
–Field Level Media
