Rockies vs Rangers Odds, Picks, and Probable Pitchers (Sep. 1)

• After a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night, the Texas Rangers will aim for the sweep over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday
• Neither team is in the playoff picture, with Colorado currently 10.5 games out of the Wild Card and Texas a full 27 games back
• Read on for a preview, full odds and a best bet for Wednesday’s matinee matchup

The Colorado Rockies (60-72, 17-50 away) visit the Texas Rangers (47-85, 31-36 home) for the final meeting of a three-game set on Wednesday, September 1, with the Rangers looking to wrap up a series sweep for just the third time this season. A win would also allow Texas to tie a season high with four straight victories.

But with right-hander Kohei Arihara (2-3, 6.59 ERA) taking the mound for the Rangers for the 2:05 p.m. ET start, Texas will likely face an uphill struggle to keep its winning streak alive. Conversely, the Rockies are going with left-hander Kyle Freeland (5-6, 4.17), who will make his third career start against the Rangers, looking to build on his 1-0 record and 2.77 ERA.

Rockies vs Rangers Odds

Odds as of August 31st at DraftKings

Probable Pitchers

As mentioned, Freeland is no stranger to the Rangers, having pitched 13 innings against in three previous starts. In addition to the 1-0 career record, the Denver native also walked four while striking out eight in those innings.

https://twitter.com/RoxGifsVids/status/1431472836552630274?s=20

On top of that, the left-hander is coming in hot, having posted a 2.57 ERA in his previous 12 starts since June 22, with a 5-4 record over that span while walking 12 and striking out 68.

His interleague record has taken the shine off that run somewhat though. In 11 innings pitched, Freeland is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

An injury-hit campaign has been tough on Arihara so far in 2021, with the right-hander to be activated from the injured list to make his eighth start of the season. His year started well, with him going 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA in his first four starts of the year, before going 0-2 with a 17.28 ERA before being shut down with a bruised middle finger in early May.

Kohei Arihara splitter to strike out Justin Upton. He's gotten Trout swinging over it twice today too. pic.twitter.com/SXCtAL7IHr

— Lucas (@DBITLefty) April 20, 2021

He returns to make his first career start against the Rockies, but he won’t find any comfort from playing at home at Globe Life Field, having gone winless (0-2, 11.32 ERA) in three starts so far there in his MLB career.

Freeland vs Arihara Stats

Both teams have played each other to a virtual standstill in recent years, with the Rockies owning a slight 6-4 edge over the past three seasons. However, the home team has taken over in recent games, with the host side wining the last six games in the series.

While Colorado has flirted with .500 ball in its nine-game road trip, the past two losses have dropped the Rockies to 3-5 on the road. But is has been interleague play that has been the team’s real Achilles heel this campaign, with the team going just 2-7 so far in interleague road games.

But while Texas has improved to 3-2 on its current home stand, it still went a woeful 10-18 in the month of August and before Tuesday’s game had MLB’s lowest win percentage since the All-Star break, going 11-30.

Rockies vs Rangers Prediction

Although it’s tough picking a contest between a couple of also-rans like Texas and Colorado, ultimately Wednesday’s pitching matchup should be enough to tilt the scales towards the Rockies.

Pick: Rockies -1.5 (+125)