Colorado Rockies vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Odds, Prediction
Arguably the worst team in the National League makes its only visit of the season to Rogers Centre this weekend as the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game set on Friday.
The Jays opened as -240 favourites to win on the MLB odds.
Betting Analysis
The Blue Jays could go all season without sweeping a home series, but this is certainly one they could and probably should sweep as Colorado has the worst overall roster in the National League and perhaps behind only Oakland and the Chicago White Sox in all of the major leagues. And it’s not like the Rockies have a bunch of guys they can flip for prospects, either. They couldn’t give away former NL MVP Kris Bryant, for example, due to his contract.
The Rockies won just 59 games in 2023 and may be hard-pressed to match that total – although they should be competitive for the most part at home with such an advantage at Coors Field playing in the altitude. Colorado is never going to get any good free-agent pitchers because they don’t want their statistics ruined playing half their games a mile above sea level. It’s frankly amazing that Bud Black is still the manager (been there since 2017) with all the losing the team has done in recent years. Ownership may simply be too cheap to pay Black not to manage.
This is the only scheduled series between the teams. Last season, the Blue Jays won two of three at Coors Field. The Rockies haven’t been in Toronto since 2013. The Jays are 9-0 all-time as the home team in the series compared to 4-11 away.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado is 1-6 on the road and may well finish with the fewest away wins in the majors just like it did in 2023 with only 22 victories. Arguably the worst pitcher in baseball so far has been Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence, who is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA and 2.36 WHIP. If he gets into a game this weekend, live bet the Jays to score that inning is my point. The entire Rockies bullpen is atrocious. Third baseman Ryan McMahon has been far and away the team’s best hitter thus far as he leads in average (.383), RBI (nine) and OBP (.464). On the flip side, Kris Bryant is 4-for-40 with 15 strikeouts while making $28 million this year.
Righty Ryan Feltner (0-1, 3.27) is on the hill Friday. He was terrific last time out at home vs. Tampa Bay in allowing one run with a career-high 10 Ks over six innings, but his bullpen blew it. Feltner was the first Colorado pitcher with double-digit Ks since Aug. 21, 2021. The Rockies were the only MLB team to not have a pitcher record at least nine strikeouts across the 2022-23 seasons. Hard not to root for Feltner after he missed a chunk of last season after he was hit in the head with a comebacker on May 13 and suffered a fractured skull. Feltner has never faced the Blue Jays. Justin Turner is 1-for-3 off him from Turner’s Dodgers days.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays had a chance to sweep visiting Seattle in a three-game set on Wednesday but allowed five runs in the top of the 10th inning and lost 6-1 but did win their first series of the season. Probably good Toronto was off Thursday so the bullpen could be reset after four guys were used Wednesday. We may see outfielder Kevin Kiermaier get Friday off simply as he struck out three times in the finale vs. Seattle before being lifted for a pinch-hitter and is a brutal 3-for-31 on the year with 14 strikeouts. Also Wednesday, the team traded reliever Wes Parsons to Cleveland for international signing bonus pool space. Fellow relievers Jordan Romano (right elbow inflammation) and Erik Swanson (right forearm inflammation) were scheduled to pitch in Triple-A on Thursday. Neither will be ready for the Jays by Friday but both are getting close.
It’s ace righty Kevin Gausman (0-1, 9.53 ERA) on the hill Friday – he was born in Colorado and grew up there. Gausman was pretty solid in his season debut at Tampa Bay but obliterated last time out at the Yankees. He has a 4.46 ERA in seven career starts spanning 38.1 innings vs. the Rockies. Charlie Blackmon is 6-for-18 off him with a double and homer.