Chris Rusin (3-3, 4.27 ERA) and the Colorado Rockies (35-48) go up against Matt Shoemaker (4-7, 4.91 ERA) and the Los Angeles Angels (45-38) in the second of a two-game interleague series at Coors Field. The Angels won the last game 10-2 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 8:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and will air on FSN-W and ROOT-RM.
In his most recent outing, Rusin pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one, striking out six and walking two in an 8-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. Troy Tulowitzki (.320, 43 Rs, 9 HRs, 45 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. The Angels were also unsuccessful the last time Shoemaker pitched. He pitched well, going, going 5.2 innings, allowing two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees. Mike Trout (.302, 62 Rs, 22 HRs, 48 RBIs, 9 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Angels, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs.
Colorado is a small underdog (+103) and the Over/Under (O/U) is 11 runs. When playing as the underdog, the Rockies have a 28-33 record and overall money line at -778. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the underdog (3-7). The Rockies will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Colorado has only averaged 3.3 runs per game compared to the 4.4 they’ve averaged on the season. The Rockies come into the game with the NL’s top ranked home scoring offense, averaging 5.4 runs per game in their own ballpark. The Rockies are an exceptional hitting team with an NL-best 10.2 hits per home game. Don’t expect the Colorado hitters to swing wildly in their own ballpark. They average only 6.6 strikeouts per home game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Angels come into this game with a win percentage of .583 when playing as the favorite (28-20) and an overall money line of +247. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 8-2 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 6-2 record. They sport the third-ranked offense in the AL, averaging four runs per game. The Angels average just 7.0 strikeouts per road game, one of the lowest marks in the AL. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Los Angeles pitchers. They’ve allowed 2.1 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 3.8. They have a WHIP of 1.20 on the year, good for fourth in the league.
So far this season, the Angels are 3-0 against the Rockies. The Rockies will take on a right-hander (Shoemaker) in this game and have a 32-36 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Angels will be the left-hander Rusin. Southpaw starters haven’t been a big issue for them as they sport a 12-6 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAA, O/U – Over
Notes
The Angels are 3-3 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rockies are 1-5 in such matchups.
The Angels are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Rockies have a 0-8 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Angels are 33-9. The Rockies have a 26-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 15th, Los Angeles sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 346 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 363.
Ranking 28th, Colorado is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 191 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top half at 15th with 239.
When the Rockies hit at least one home run, they are 31-25. When the Angels hit at least one homer, they have a 33-20 record.
