Rockies vs Cardinals Preview: Struggling Teams Square Off

Rockies Hope to Improve Road Record Against Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals hope that a return home will help their fortunes as they host the Colorado Rockies in a four-game weekend series beginning on Thursday night. Both MLB teams have been struggling to pick up victories of late and need to turn things around in a hurry.

Colorado (21-40) has dropped five in a row, including getting swept in a three-game series at home by the Cincinnati Reds this week. The Rockies are in last place in the NL West, trailing the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks by 7.5 games.

St. Louis finished up a nine-game road trip with a win on Wednesday, but still dropped five of the nine contests in the stretch. The Cardinals (29-31) sit in third place in the NL Central, one game behind the second-place Chicago Cubs and a half-game ahead of the fourth-place Pittsburgh Pirates.

Uncover Exclusive Picks & Predictions From Our Experts.

  • The MLB odds for Thursday’s series opener have the Cardinals listed at -230 on the moneyline, while the Rockies are +190 to get the straight-up win.

If you’re betting on the run line among your MLB picks today, you can get Colorado at even odds when getting 1.5 runs, while St. Louis is -120 when giving those runs. The over/under is set at 7.5 runs, with -110 odds on either side of that wager.

The series begins with a 7:45 p.m. ET contest on Thursday night, followed by an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday. Saturday’s contest will be at 4:15 p.m. ET, followed by the series finale at 2:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Rockies logo Rockies vs Cardinals Cardinals logo

Day/Time:
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis.
Streaming: BSMW

Pitching Matchups

Game 1

  • Cal Quantrill (Colorado) vs Sonny Gray (St. Louis)

Right-hander Cal Quantrill will open the series on the mound for the Rockies, making his 13th start of the season. Quantrill is 4-4 with a 3.84 ERA, striking out 50 over 68 innings of work.

He struggled mightily in his last start, lasting just 4.1 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday and allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out one and walking two.

The Cardinals will counter with veteran righty Sonny Gray, who is 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA in his first season in St. Louis. Gray is tied for 14th in the majors with 77 strikeouts in his 57 innings this season.

He’s coming off a loss against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, going five innings and giving up four runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking three.

Game 2

  • Austin Gomber (Colorado) vs Lance Lynn (St. Louis)

Colorado hasn’t been helping left-hander Austin Gomber out much with run support, as he has a 1-3 record despite a 3.06 ERA in his 11 starts this season. Gomber will make his 12th start trying to bounce back from a rough outing after he missed a start with general arm soreness on May 27.

Gomber had a 0.68 ERA in four May starts, but facing the Dodgers on Sunday, he lasted just three innings and allowed three runs on five hits, including two home runs, while striking out two and walking three.

St. Louis will have veteran righty Lance Lynn on the mound for Friday’s contest, as the 37-year-old brings a 2-3 record and 3.23 ERA to his 13th start of the season.

Lynn has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, a total of 16 innings, though he’s also given up seven unearned runs over that stretch. He took a no-decision after going four innings against the Phillies on Sunday, giving up four unearned runs on three hits while striking out four and walking two.

Game 3

  • Ryan Feltner (Colorado) vs Kyle Gibson (St. Louis)

The MLB scoreboard could see a high score on Saturday, as right-hander Ryan Feltner gets the start for the Rockies. Feltner is 1-5 with a 6.22 ERA in 12 starts in 2024, striking out 52 in 63.2 innings.

The 27-year-old has allowed 15 runs (13 earned) over his last two starts, including eight runs on 10 hits over 4.1 innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

Yet another veteran hurler will be on the mound for the Cardinals on Saturday, with 36-year-old Kyle Gibson making his 13th start of the campaign. Gibson is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA, striking out 60 in 70.2 innings of work.

The righty hasn’t taken a loss since April 13, though he lasted just 5.2 innings in his last start, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out eight and walking three.

Game 4

  • Ty Blach (Colorado) vs Andre Pallante (St. Louis)

The final game of the series will see left-hander Ty Blach making the start for the Rockies. Blach is 2-3 with a 4.54 ERA in nine appearances (six starts) this season.

The 33-year-old has allowed at least two earned runs in each of his last four starts, including a five-inning stint against the Reds on Tuesday in which he gave up four runs on 10 hits.

Righty Andre Pallante will make his third straight start in Sunday’s series finale after pitching in relief in his first nine appearances this season, all in March and April.

Pallante (1-2, 6.16 ERA) has been a mixed bag as a starter, throwing six shutout innings against the Reds in his first start but lasting just three innings against the Astros on Tuesday, giving up six runs on six hits.

Cardinals Scoring Hasn’t Been Problem

The Cardinals haven’t struggled to put runs on the board over the last few MLB games, but it hasn’t led to many wins. Over the last four contests, St. Louis has averaged 4.5 runs.

That hasn’t been the case for much of the year, with the Cardinals sitting 28th in baseball in scoring with 230 runs. Colorado hasn’t been much better, ranking 22nd with 242 runs.

Catcher Elias Diaz has been hitting the ball well this MLB season for the Rockies, ranking 13th in the majors with a .306 batting average.

Diaz has had multi-hit games in three of the last four contests, including going 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday’s loss. The veteran has 12 doubles, five home runs, 27 RBI and 20 runs scored in 2024.

All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado has been heating up at the plate, which is what the Cardinals have been hoping for all season.

Arenado hit his third home run in seven contests on Wednesday, equalling how many he had this season prior to that stretch. During his hot streak, Arenado is batting .252 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBI and 23 runs scored.

Cardinals Keep Rockies Sliding

Wrapping up our Rockies vs Cardinals preview, the pick for this series is the home team, keeping Colorado on its losing skid. St. Louis has the better pitching and has been heating up offensively, so it is the team to make your wagers.

The Rockies are just 8-23 on the road this season, and that record will only get worse as the weekend goes on. Make your MLB wagers on the Cardinals to win at least three of four from Colorado this weekend.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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