Brewers & Rockies Open 4-Game Series in Possible NL Wild Card Preview

• The Rockies just had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Angels last night; can they get back in the win column in their first of four against Milwaukee? 
• The Brewers have refused to swing at pitches in the zone this season; will their mindset change in a hitter-friendly ballpark?
• Read on for our full preview for tonight’s matchup

The Milwaukee Brewers (21-17, 11-7 away) travel to the Mile High City to face the Colorado Rockies (21-16, 6-8 home) in the first of a four game series at Coors Field, on May 10th at 8:40 PM EST.

Both teams are struggling to find consistent offense, which has held each team below a .600 winning percentage. Both teams are coming off a Wednesday matinee loss and are looking to rebound in Game 1 of this series.

#Brewers score 2, lose by 4.

L: Guerra (2-3)

Junior struck out nine in 5.0 IP but got burned by a bad 4th inning. Carlos Carrasco was on his A game on the other side, striking out 14 against five hits and one walk in a complete game effort.

— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) May 9, 2018

The Milwaukee Brewers will try to find a way to spark their dormant offense. The Brewers didn’t move a runner past first base until the third inning against the Indians yesterday.

Through the first 36 games of the season, the offense has produced 3.77 runs per game. That’s good for second-worst in the National League. Simply put, the Brewers need to start swinging the bats better. Milwaukee is 25th in the MLB at swinging at pitches in the zone.

If players like Lorenzo Cain, Travis Shaw, Christian Yelich, Domingo Santana, and Ryan Braun starting swinging at “hittable” pitches, the offense that everyone predicted to be lethal this offseason could finally make an appearance.

The Rockies bats aren’t faring much better. Hopeful fans are still waiting for Ian Desmond, Gerardo Parra, or Carlos Gonzalez to magically turn into above-average hitters. Unless the warm summer Rockies air really is the sole cause, fans need to look elsewhere.

Colorado did score 31 runs on their recent nine-game road trip. But don’t let that number fool you. If you consider that 19 of those runs were scored over two games, the Rockies only managed 1.71 runs per game through the other seven. That is not championship offense.

Luckily the Rockies have activated All-Star DJ LeMahiue for the start of their six-game home-stand. The second baseman is hitting .290 with five home runs, and 12 RBIs. Look for LeMahiue to spark this “Rocky” offense.

This year, the effect is even *more* pronounced. Arenado/Blackmon/LeMahieu have three bWAR combined. The rest of the offense? -2.8 WAR. This is a very poorly run franchise.

— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) May 1, 2018

Below, find the opening odds, key statistics, and score prediction for tonight’s game. Don’t forget to check out our MLB Betting Hub to see the current odds from a variety of our most trusted online betting sites.

Team Stats

Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run on three hits in his last outing. But the 30-year-old has only gone beyond six innings twice in eight starts. With a 24:19 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 39 innings of work, don’t expect Chacin to turn his season around at Coors Field.

German Marquez allowed two hits over six innings to pick up the win against the Mets in his last start. With eight strikeouts against the Mets and a 35:16 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in over 34 innings, I expect Marquez to continue throwing heat.

Opening Odds

Score Prediction

Rockies 4, Brewers 1

With LeMahieu a probable starter, the Rockies offense will become more consistent.  Marquez has admirable stats for pitching in a hitter-friendly field, and Chacin is looking less then formidable.

The Rockies will be playing their third of six straight games at home tonight, and will finally get the bats swinging after being shutout last night.