Rockies vs Padres Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (July 31)

• The Rockies and Padres continue their four-game set on Saturday night at Petco Park
• Colorado came away with a big 9-4 win on Friday
• Get the odds, betting analysis, and prediction below

The Colorado Rockies (45-59, 12-39 away) and San Diego Padres (60-46, 35-21 home) meet in Game 3 of their four-game series on Saturday evening at Petco Park, with first pitch set for 8:40 PM EST. German Marquez takes the mound for the visitors, while Yu Darvish gets the ball for the Padres.

The Rockies’ bats came alive on Friday night in a 9-4 victory, knocking Padres starter Ryan Weathers out of the game within just four innings. San Diego phenom Fernando Tatis Jr exited in the first inning with an apparent shoulder injury, but it’s unknown how serious it is at this point.

Rockies vs Padres Odds

Odds as of July 31st at DraftKings

Probable Pitchers

Marquez has been about one of the only bright spots on a struggling Colorado ballclub this season. The Venezuelan is currently 8-8 with a 3.54 ERA, making 21 starts. He’s also thrown three complete games already and proven to be the ace of this Rockies staff.

German Marquez got a standing ovation from his home fans in Colorado after not allowing a hit in the 4th. 👏

(📽️: @AllStarGame)pic.twitter.com/QpvR0rOQmu

— theScore (@theScore) July 14, 2021

The 26-year-old has been less effective as of late, though. He’s allowed seven earned runs across his last two outings and took the loss in both appearances. Marquez did face the Padres back on July 10th though and absolutely dominated them, throwing seven innings of scoreless baseball while striking out nine. However, the San Diego lineup is hitting a very respectable .264 off Marquez.

Marquez vs Darvish

Darvish has been a workhorse in the San Diego rotation in 2021, posting a 3.27 ERA while striking out 134 batters in just 115.2 innings of work. While he has enjoyed a very respectable year, he’s really struggled since July began. In four outings since the 3rd of this month, Darvish has allowed 16 earned runs and six homers. Needless to say, he’s due for a quality start.

Yu Darvish, Ridiculous 84mph Slider. 😯 pic.twitter.com/qR7ipqXn2t

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2021

The 34-year-old has been stellar at home, compiling a 5-2 record and 2.79 ERA in 12 appearances. He typically thrives in front of the Padres fans and he’ll be looking to bounce back from giving up six runs in just three innings at Petco on July 8th. Darvish has also made three starts this season already against Colorado and has pitched well, collecting a 2.25 ERA.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

The offense has not been a strong suit for the Rockies, scoring just 4.3 runs per game (18th in the majors) while hitting just 98 homers as a team (28th in the bigs). That’s why Friday was such a pleasant surprise, especially with their best hitter in Trevor Story sitting out after voicing his displeasure about not getting traded at the deadline.

Trevor Story is staying with the Rockies.

Did Colorado make a mistake? pic.twitter.com/INVr7tFQ8B

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 30, 2021

Raimel Tapia led the charge with three hits at the top of the Colorado lineup, while third basemen Ryan McMahon went a perfect 3 for 3 with four RBI’s. Heading into Saturday, the Rockies have won six of their last eight games against San Diego.

The Padres are a fundamentally sound club on both sides of the ball. Their offense has been stellar in 2021, with Tatis Jr leading the way with a .290 average and 31 bombs. While the likes of Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer, and Jake Cronenworth have all done their part, San Diego went out at the deadline and added an All-Star in Adam Frazier from the Pirates, who will surely be a huge help as he’s currently hitting .320.

In @A_Fraz12's first game with San Diego, the @Padres have four All-Stars at the top of the lineup. pic.twitter.com/MSmgK1Jpx5

— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2021

Although the Rockies have had the Padres’ number in recent meetings, they’re getting Marquez at a time where he’s not been at his best. Several guys in this lineup also swing it well against the hard-throwing righty, which is a huge plus after a disappointing loss on Friday night.

Rockies vs Padres Prediction

We have two very solid arms on the mound, which means there probably won’t be a ton of runs scored. However, I do believe the Padres will respond with a victory here, Tatis Jr on the field or not.

Pick: San Diego (-200); Un 7 (-110)