The Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies begin a four-game set at Coors Field on Thursday night. Both of these franchises are going through a rebuilding phase but have gotten off to competitive starts and are currently sitting above .500.
Here are our best free Cubs vs. Rockies picks and predictions for April 14, with the opening pitch scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET.
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Cubs vs Rockies odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with the Rockies installed as -130 favorites with the Over/Under at 11.5. Early money has come in on the Cubs and the Under, shortening the line to Rockies -120 and moving the total to 11.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Cubs vs Rockies predictions
- Prediction: Rockies ML (-120)
- Prediction: Over 11 (-110)
- Best bet: Bryant Over 1.5 total bases (-115)
Picks made on 4/14/2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cubs vs Rockies game info
• Location: Coors Field, Denver, CO
• Date: Thursday, April 14, 2022
• First pitch: 8:40 p.m. ET
• TV: Marquee Sports Network, AT&T Sportsnet
Cubs vs Rockies betting preview
Starting pitchers
Justin Steele LHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA): The Cubs had been building up Steele as a starter during spring training with Adbert Alzolay and Wade Miley on the IL. In three starts of Cactus League action, Steele allowed just three hits in 6.2 innings but walked seven batters.
Control issues have plagued the 26-year-old so far in his career, but he did look good in his first start of the year when he walked one and scattered four hits across five scoreless innings.
Kyle Freeland LHP (0-1, 12.27 ERA): Freeland got shelled for five runs before getting the hook midway through the fourth inning in his first start of the year last Friday versus the Dodgers. The 29-year-old went 7-8 with a 4.33 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and an OBA of .284 in 23 starts last season.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cubs: Andrelton Simmons SS (Out), David Bote 3B (Out), Keegan Thompson RP (Out), Codi Heuer RP (Out).
Rockies: Ryan McMahon 2B (Questionable), Robert Stephenson RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Rockies are 83-35 in their last 118 games as a home favorite. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Rockies.
Cubs vs Rockies picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Cubs are fresh off a 6-2 loss to the Pirates which dropped their season record to 3-2.
The Rockies have won four games in a row to improve to 4-1 after dropping their season opener to the Dodgers.
Beating the Dodgers in the last two games of that series was promising but scoring a total of 10 runs and batting .288 in their previous two contests in Arlington was almost more impressive given their typical hitting woes on the road.
The Rockies are doing a good job of making contact this season, ranking fifth in the majors with an OPS of .767, and long-time Cub Kris Bryant has been their most reliable slugger going 7-20 at the plate with his new team.
Colorado will send Kyle Freeland to the mound in this one and while the lefty is fresh off an ugly outing, he has generally been consistent if mediocre, posting an identical 4.33 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in each of the past two seasons.
The Cubs will respond with Justin Steele who looked sharp in his season opener. That said, Steele struggled as a rookie last year pitching to a 4.95 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP in nine starts, although he looked better as a reliever with a 2.03 ERA in 13.1 innings out of the bullpen.
It will be interesting to see how the Cubs perform offensively this year with Ian Happ, Frank Schwindel, Patrick Wisdom, and rookie Seiya Suzuki anchoring the lineup. The fact remains, however, that this is still a much less intimidating squad than the one that used to feature Bryant, Javy Baez, and Anthony Rizzo.
Both of these teams also play much better at home than on the road. The Rockies went 48-33 at home last season but had a woeful 26-54 mark on the road, while the Cubbies are just 19-41 in their last 60 games as an away underdog.
With the Rockies at home and coming in on a winning streak, we'll back them as slim favorites.
Prediction: Rockies ML (-120 at Bet365)
Over/Under analysis
This is a big total at 11 but what else do you expect for a game at Coors Field? This is still the most hitter-friendly park in the majors and it isn't even close. Colorado plated just 3.54 runs per game on the road last season but saw that number surge to 5.63 in the thin air of Coors Field.
There is also understandably a big discrepancy in Freeland's home/away splits, with the Rockies starter pitching to a .297 OBA at home since the start of 2020 and posting a .262 OBA on the road.
Typically, I actually prefer leaning towards the Under on the inflated O/U numbers at Coors Field. After all, the Under is 45-20-3 in the Rockies' last 68 home games with the total set at 11 or higher.
However, given how well they have been hitting recently and some strong offensive performances from the Cubs in their season-opening series against the Brewers' impressive rotation, we like the Over tonight.
Keep in mind that both teams mash lefties. The Rockies were fifth in the majors with an OPS of .778 against southpaws last season with that number dropping to .713 against right-handed pitchers, and this year they have an OPS of .874 versus lefties.
Prediction: Over 11 (-120 at Betway)
Best bet
Bryant has looked fantastic so far for the Rockies, batting .350 and smacking three doubles through the first five games of the season. The four-time All-Star and 2016 NL MVP could be in for a big year with Colorado.
Not only will Bryant benefit from the hitter's paradise that is Coors Field, but he has always teed off against southpaws like Steele.
Since the start of 2018, Bryant has a sizzling .595 slugging percentage against lefties compared to a more modest slugging percentage of .445 versus right-handed pitchers. We're taking the Over 1.5 total bases for Bryant today which is priced at -115.
Pick: Kris Bryant Over 1.5 total bases (-115 at William Hill)
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