The MLB odds dogfight for the NL West title continues as a dozen games remain in the season and yet we’re no closer to crowing a division winner than we were on Opening Day.
At press time the San Francisco Giants (85-66) maintained a very slim .5 game lead over the San Diego Padres (84-66) a team that had a stranglehold on the division until it imploded in late August. But these are hardly the only combatants in the fight as the Colorado Rockies (82-68) lurk just 2.5 games back and have been one of the hottest hitting teams in the MLB lines action and can boast of Cy Young front runner on the roster (Ubaldo Jimenez).
On Thursday night hard charging Rockies will take division doormat and nemesis, the Arizona Diamondbacks (60-91). The Rockies desperately need a win as neither the Giants or the Padres face very stiff completion on this night and after dropping their previous game the Rockies need to get back to their winning ways and can’t afford to drop back another game in the standings.
At this point in the season the D-Backs are little more than a minor league team. With the roster full of late season minor league call ups this team shouldn’t pose much of a challenge to the Rockies. However, inter-division rivalries are never easy and Arizona would love to pour a little vinegar on the Rockies’ MLB odds playoff hopes.
As Arizona are 31 games below .500 it’s not a particularly good team at home or away, but it puts up much more of fight in the desert with an almost respectable 36-40 mark.
And this is where it gets dicey for the Rockies. Although a much better team overall, and nearly unbeatable in the MLB lines action at home, this team is awful on the road. In fact, it’s one of the worst in the league with a 31-44 record.
Colorado will send Jeff Francis to the mound (4-5, 4.61 ERA) which is hardly a comfort. The D-Backs will trot out Ian Kennedy to the mound. Kennedy with a 9-9 record and 3.36 ERA have actually been one Arizona’s best pitchers this season and could give the visitors trouble in this MLB odds matchup.