Friday night baseball and we will see the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Colorado. First pitch is scheduled for an 8:40 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised localy. Current Betting Odds, according to Sportsbook.ag, have Colorado listed as the favorite.
Current Odds
Philadelphia +104
Colorado -114
Over/ Under: 9.5 -110
Analysis: The Phillies are hoping a series with the Rockies can get them rolling again after ending a season-high five-game slide with Thursday's 3-2 win at Minnesota. They had won five straight prior to that losing streak. Michael Young and Ben Revere are providing an offensive spark of late. Young is 12 for 29 (.414) over the past seven games and Revere has seven hits with a triple and three runs in the last two. The Phillies entered Thursday averaging 3.06 runs per game on the road, worst in the majors. Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 3.22 ERA) looks to continue his run of solid outings for Philadelphia. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts, losing his last outing 4-3 at Milwaukee on Saturday after allowing three runs and eight hits in six innings. Kendrick is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA in six road starts, but the last two have been his worst of the season. He's yielded eight runs in 11 innings in those games. His last start at Coors Field on Aug. 2, 2011, was by far the best of the four he's had there. Kendrick limited the Rockies to four hits in eight innings of a 5-0 victory. Philadelphia won seven of the nine meetings in 2012 and has taken a remarkable 27 of the last 33 encounters with Colorado dating to Sept. 2007, including 11 of the last 14 played here.
The Colorado Rockies will attempt to push forward without star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, and perhaps other key players, when they open a three-game series tonight. Tulowitzki reportedly suffered a broken rib Thursday against Washington and could require up to six weeks to recover. Outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler also were hurt, although their injuries are not considered serious. The Rockies are 3-4 on their 10-game homestand after dropping two of three against the Nationals. Gonzalez is hitting .365 over his last 15 meetings, going 11 for 23 (.478) in five home matchups. Fowler is 9 for 20 over his past five games with Philadelphia. Juan Nicasio (4-2, 4.61) is scheduled to counter for Colorado, seeking to end a four-start winless stretch. The right-hander was superb through the first five innings Sunday against San Diego, retiring the first 16 batters before allowing two runs and leaving after the sixth of an 8-7 win in 10. He is 1-4 with an 8.17 ERA in six career starts against NL East teams.
Pick: The Phils offense has been stagnant for much of the year and i don't expect a trip to Coors Field to be a cure for them. Philadelphia Averages just 3.63 rpg on the road this year and they have put up just 2.4 rpg in their last 5 games overall. This offense has been hit by injuries all year, and they are without both Utley & Ruiz, plus added to that is the recent loss of Kratz, who has been doing a good job at the plate for them. Tonight they take on Juan Nicasio, who hasn't pitched all that bad of late, allowing more than 3 ER's in just 1 of his last 5 starts. At Home he does have a 4.31 ERA, but with a nice 1.15 WHIP, so he isn't pitching all that bad at home. Kyle Kendrick has pitched bad in just 3 games all year, as he has a 3.22 ERA, while allowing more than 3 ER's just 3 times all year. On the road he has a 2.63 ERA and his road starts have averaged a mere 5.5 rpg. Dating back to last year the Under is 10-2 in his last 12 road starts. Kyle will be taking on a somewhat depleted Rockies lineup, as Tulowitzki is out, Fowler is listed as doubtful and CarGo is listed as questionable. I expect the Rockies to have trouble scoring vs Kendrick, while the anemic Phils offense will have troubles of their own putting up runs. No more than 7 runs in this one.
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