After their bullpen blew what was a promising performance on Monday, the Rockies will seek some retribution on Tuesday in Arizona in a battle of two left-handers that promises to be a rather unpredictable one.
On one hand, we have Austin Gomber going for Colorado — yet another pitcher in this rotation who's actually been better at Coors Field. On the other is the Diamondbacks' Eduardo Rodriguez, who's pitched in just one professional game this season after missing months due to injury.
Perhaps the best way to attack this one is with a few individual legs, so let's dive into my Rockies vs Diamondbacks parlay for Tuesday, which features prop picks for Eduardo Rodriguez, Jake McCarthy and Ezequiel Tovar.
Kenny Ducey's Rockies vs Diamondbacks +517 Parlay Picks
- Eduardo Rodriguez 5+ Strikeouts (-265)
- Ezequiel Tovar 2+ Total Bases (+110)
- Jake McCarthy 2+ Total Bases (+100)
Parlay Odds: +517 (FanDuel)
Remember to bet responsibly — this is a long shot for a reason.
Eduardo Rodriguez 5+ Strikeouts (-265)
Let's begin with one of the two starters here and take a bet on Rodriguez.
As noted above, the southpaw was seen for just a handful of innings in spring training before missing the entire first half due to injury.
He was sent to the team's complex to work his way back as opposed to the minors for a rehab assignment, so there was some natural rust to shake off in his season debut against Cleveland. It was pretty impressive to see him fall an out shy of a Quality Start, with three runs charged to his line over 5 2/3 innings.
Rodriguez should stick around in this one against a Rockies team that's third-worst in wRC+ on the road this season, especially when you consider he was really only burned by two home runs and two walks in that outing against the Guardians.
He'll receive a significant park upgrade here in Arizona. Also, he'll oppose a lineup that's walked in a minuscule 6.2% of plate appearances in the past two weeks.
Five seems to be the magic number here for Rodriguez when it comes to punch outs. While he was merely a point above average in strikeout rate a season ago, he racked up five or more in all but six of his 26 outings.
The Rockies represent a great team to attack, as they have an unsightly 28.3% strikeout rate over the past two weeks to lead the majors.
Pick: Eduardo Rodriguez 5+ Strikeouts (-265)
Ezequiel Tovar 2+ Total Bases (+110)
The first batter I'm eyeing here is Ezequiel Tovar, who ticks a lot of boxes. He's hitting a team-best .274 on the road this season, and while he's at a slight platoon disadvantage, he's still hitting .257 against southpaws this year, which is one of the best marks in the order.
Tovar's speed will be key in a large park that doesn't yield many home runs but has large alleys. That could aid the Rockies' leadoff man in reaching two or more total bases with just one swing of the bat.
He's leading the team with 66 total bases against lefties this year and has six hits in his last seven games, including a double and a homer to boot. That gives me even more confidence here.
The speedster may not be crushing fastballs this year, but he should have success against the rest of Rodriguez's arsenal. He's hitting .419 against changeups this year to follow a .254 mark in 2023.
His favorite pitch over the last two seasons also happens to be the sinker.
Pick: Ezequiel Tovar 2+ Total Bases (+110)
Jake McCarthy 2+ Total Bases (+100)
Finally, we'll round things out with a reverse splits guy in Jake McCarthy. The left-handed bat has been the best option on this team against lefties, with 31 hits in 84 at-bats for a .369 average.
While extra-base hits have been hard to come by, he's utilized his speed to boost his slugging percentage by 100 points at home this season.
McCarthy is still showing plenty of life at the dish, slashing .429/.467/.857 in his past seven starts.
With Ketel Marte likely sitting this one out with a nagging injury, he should be locked into the second spot in the lineup, which will only increase the likelihood of him racking up a pair of total bases.
The 27-year-old is 1-for-2 against Gomber in his career (if it's of any meaning at all to you). As a player who loves to swing the bat, we shouldn't be too fearful that he'll take walks and waste chances to record hits — particularly against a pitcher with a very low walk rate.
