In the last of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres (13-12) and the Colorado Rockies (13-12) at Petco Park, James Shields (2-0, 2.90 ERA) and Tyler Matzek (2-0, 2.70 ERA) get the start. The Padres won the last game 4-2 and San Diego leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 3 and will air on ROOT-RM and FSN-SD.
Shields has a 3.96 ERA and a 2-1 record in his career against the Rockies, and is up against a strong Colorado offense that’s hitting .274 on the year. Justin Upton (.281, 17 Rs, 6 HRs, 18 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with two RBIs. In his pitching opportunities against the Padres, Matzek is 1-3 with a 3.66 ERA. He gets a solid San Diego offense that’s batting .262.
San Diego, a -171 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Colorado. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Padres are 7-5 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -100. They have impressive records of 7-2 as the favorite and 10-8 SU within their division. The Padres have the most prolific offense in the entire NL, averaging 5.0 runs per game. The Padres rank third in the NL in hits with 9.2 per game. San Diego’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 6.1 during that span, compared to its 4.6 season average.
Moving on to the away team, the Rockies come into this game with a win percentage of .571 when playing as the underdog (8-6) and an overall money line of +28. Against fellow NL West members, they are 7-9 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 5-6 record. The Rockies seem to play worse against their division opponents. In divisional matchups, Colorado has averaged 3.5 runs per game, compared to 4.1 for the duration of the season. The top hitting team in the NL are the Rockies, who average 9.6 hits per game. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Colorado pitchers. They allowed 7.4 runs per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 5.4.
The Padres have gotten the best of the Rockies in head-to-head matchups this season, going 4-2. This game will feature Matzek (LHP) on the mound against the Padres, who have a 4-2 record when they take on a left-handed starter. The right-handed Shields will take the mound against the Rockies, who have a 10-10 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, San Diego is 7-6, while Colorado is 3-4.
The Padres are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Rockies have a 3-6 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Padres have a slight leg up on the Rockies, as the Padres have won their last two games while the Rockies have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres and the Rockies both have records of 10-1.
Ranking 19th in runs, Colorado has earned 93 this season. San Diego ranks third with 123 runs.
San Diego and Colorado both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. San Diego sits at 23rd with 60 this season and Colorado ranks 27th with 49.
The Padres are 8-6 when they hit at least one home run. The Rockies perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with an 8-7 record.
