It is hard to enter a season following a losing season and not have drastic improvements to the roster to give fans hope moving forward. Those are each true for the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds, as neither team made significant off-season improvements. Still, they each sit at 4-5 in the Cactus League MLB standings and meet in the late game on the MLB schedule on Monday.
Here is a look at the Rockies vs Reds odds and a breakdown of the game before making a prediction.
Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Odds
The Rockies vs Reds odds were not available at the time of publication. Most MLB games in the spring do not have run line odds, and some may have an over/under. But those figures were not available as of this writing.
Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Matchup Information
Colorado Rockies vs Cincinnati Reds
Location of the Game: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear, AZ.
Date and Time: Monday, March 6, 2023, 8:05 PM ET.
How to Watch: ESPN+
Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Preview
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies standings ended with 68 wins, and they were living in the basement of the National League West. That was after signing away Kris Bryant, the corner outfielder/infielder formerly of the Chicago Cubs.
Bryant was banged up last season, playing only 42 games in his first season with the Rockies. He hit .306 with a .851 OPS with 12 doubles, five home runs, 14 RBIs, and 28 runs scored in 160 at-bats, MLB player stats show. Playing that pace for even 120 games would be an immense help for an offense that has some promise.
The offense got some bad news in that young second baseman Brendan Rodgers. He may need surgery on an injured shoulder that may end his season.
Colorado Rockies Face Defensive Challenges
The Rockies could use the middle infield help as they expect rookie Ezequiel Tovar to take over as the everyday shortstop. But losing Rodgers to the MLB injury report hurts after he hit .266 with a .733 OPS, 13 home runs, 63 RBIs, and scored 72 runs in his second season.
It is the pitching staff that has had its issues. Ryan Feltner gets the mound on Monday for the Rockies. He was 4-9 with a 5.83 ERA in 97.1 innings across 20 games (19 starts) last season. He and all of the Rockies pitchers must improve if the franchise will rise from being one of the worst MLB teams.
The Rockies resigned veteran starter Austin Gomber, who was the core piece in the trade that sent Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals. The starting rotation is largely untouched, and the bullpen added lefty Brent Suter, but otherwise is the same. A big extension was retaining closer Daniel Bard.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds were popular among MLB picks for a while when they had talent on their pitching staff and pieces that complemented one another in the everyday lineup. But the Reds finished 62-100 last season to tie for the worst record in the NL Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cincinnati sports a younger roster that is coming together with time. Starters Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo have shown promise at the top of the rotation. The Reds also have developed a strong backend of the bullpen with Tejay Antone, who is hoping to be healthy, and closer Alexis Diaz, the brother of New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
On Tuesday, it will be veteran Chase Anderson getting the start. At 35 years old, he could be of help in the bullpen despite starting 183 of his 199 appearances, but he has fallen off since his 2019 season with the Milwaukee Brewers.
New Additions to Cincinnati Reds Outfield Aim to Boost Offensive Performance
Cincinnati Reds stats showed the offense left plenty to be desired a season ago. The Reds have tried to address that by adding veteran Wil Myers in the outfield to play alongside Nick Senzel and another outfielder to be determined.
Cincinnati also has veteran utilitymen Chad Pinder and Nick Solak. There is still youth on the infield to go along with the veteran Joey Votta at first base. Jonathan India, Jose Barrero, and Spencer Steer figure to be the starters at second base, shortstop and third base, respectively.
Both units will have to be better this season, and Monday is a great opportunity to show what they can do against a pitcher who had his struggles a season ago.
Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Betting Picks
While the Rockies vs Reds odds are not yet out, here are our thoughts on Monday’s game:
Because pitchers are typically throwing in shorter innings at this point in spring training, it may lead to more dominance because they can go all out for 50 pitches or so instead of having to give length to get to the bullpen. But each pitcher starting the game has had their struggles, so we like there to be some runs scored and would look at an over, if posted.
Meanwhile, the Reds’ offense has improved on paper, but the Rockies still have the better unit. Bryant looks to have his sweet swing back and add him to the fold with C.J. Cron, Ryan McMahon, Charlie Blackmon and Co., makes their offense better than what the Reds have to offer. We are inclined to go with the Rockies’ moneyline as a result.
Spring Trainning Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds Final Score (March-06-2023)
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