The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers begin the defense of their World Series title against the division rival Colorado Rockies whom online sportsbooks believe will be the worst team in the NL East and possibly the entire league. The defending champs enter the 2021 season as the only team on the board with a season win total greater than 100. On the flipside, the Rockies check in at the complete opposite end of the spectrum with a 63.5 game win total. LA has made a mockery of this rivalry in recent seasons tallying wins in 15 of the last 20 overall meetings. It’s also come out on the right side of the scoreboard in five of its last six visits to the Mile High City. With that, you can expect Clayton Kershaw to be installed a decided favorite when he toes the bump to oppose German Marquez in the series opener.
First pitch for the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 4:10 p.m. ET from Coors Field. The matchup will air live on ESPN. Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
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Odds Analysis
Before going on to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of October, the Dodgers were dominant over the course of the regular season. It went on to log 43 wins over the abbreviated 60-game season for an overall profit of $569. An eye-opening 22 of those wins were accrued away from Tinseltown which brought back a solid $509 return on investment. Considering you can count the number of times Los Angeles went off the board as underdogs on one hand, that’s quite the accomplishment! Colorado played to a 26-34 overall record which played out to a fourth place finish within the final NL West standings. The end result was a -$369 return on investment. Most bothersome was the team’s losing record at Coors where it normally exceeds expectations 12-18, -$666.
Probable Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw: The former Cy Young Award winner went on to tally a 6-2 record with a 2.16 ERA and slim .194 BAA over the course of 10 made 2020 starts. LA would go on to lose only two of his 10 regular season outings. One of those triumphs occurred at Coors Field where he tossed seven innings of four hit and 1 ER ball en route to leading the Dodgers to the carefree 6-1 victory. LA has been near money in the bank the last 10 times linemakers tabbed the lefty a -200 or higher favorite on the road in going 8-2 with seven of those wins coming by 2+ runs.
German Marquez: The righty is the staff ace of the starting rotation. That’s not saying much considering how terribly the unit struggles every season. Regardless, Marquez is likely an arm every team would love to have at their disposal with him routinely preventing the Mile High thin air affecting his stat line. Through 81.2 innings, Marquez only conceded 78 hits 6 HR and 34 ER to pitch to a solid 3.75 ERA and .247 BAA. Through nine lifetime starts against LA he’s 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA and .300 BAA, but the Rockies are just 2-5 the last seven times he was installed a home dog with every loss coming by two or more runs.
Dodgers vs. Rockies Prediction
The series opener doesn’t shape up well for the home team. With the batting order void of Nolan Arenado since he first broke into the majors, it’ll be interesting to see how Bud Black’s offense reacts to his absence. Taking his stick out of the lineup and replacing it with C.J. Cron’s doesn’t sound very appetizing though the Rockies new first baseman could be in for a career year playing at Coors provided he stays healthy. That said, LA has some health issues at the back end of its bullpen right now and anything could happen in the thin air this time of year. If forced to bet this game, I’d throw caution to the wind and take the +1.5 runs with Marquez and the home team to see if they can conjure up some magic to compete and possibly win its home opener.
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