There is not a hotter team in baseball at the moment than the Astros, who come into Thursday’s tilt with the Rockies having won 16 of their last 20 games. That includes the first two contests of this series in Colorado, and Houston will be looking to complete the sweep against the lowly Rockies this afternoon.
Let’s preview this huge matinee matchup in the altitude with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Rockies prediction, preview
The most impressive aspect of the Astros’ success this season is how they’ve been doing it with so little certainty in their rotation. Obviously it’s very nice to employ the likes of Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, but aside from that pair of aces, Houston has been asking a lot of some rookie arms. One of them is Brandon Walter, who will get the nod this afternoon at Coors Field. Walter is a former 26th-round pick of the Red Sox with very little pedigree, but the 28-year-old hasn’t looked out of place at the MLB level so far. Walter’s made five starts for the Astros and he’s maintained a 3.34 ERA and a 3.35 xERA across 29.2 innings. It’s a span of time where the first-year starter has struck out 30 and walked only two.
Walter’s lone flaw has been the long ball — something that is obviously amplified when pitching at Coors Field. The left-hander has surrendered five opponent home runs over his last four appearances and 1.52 per nine for the season as a whole. Still, Walter does possess a near-elite 51.1% ground ball rate and a decent 6.8% opponent barrel rate, so it’s not as if he profiles like a man that’s going to struggle to keep the ball in the park. Colorado is its own animal, though. What’s not a major concern going forward is still a reg flag in the immediate, even if the Rockies do come into this tilt in possession of an MLB-low 66 wRC+ versus southpaws.
Speaking of lefties, Kyle Freeland will get the call on the other side of this pitching matchup. Now, Freeland’s 5.56 ERA isn’t exactly fair, as the veteran’s .372 opponent BABIP is the highest mark among all pitchers with at least 70 innings thrown this season, but then again, nothing’s “fair” about playing for Colorado. Freeland owns a 7.11 ERA at Coors Field in 2025. Opponents are slashing a bonkers .387/.420/.577 against the 32-year-old at altitude. Needless to say, the Astros should be able to put up some crooked numbers in this juicy spot.
Astros vs. Rockies pick, best bet
Best Bet: Astros Over 5.5 Runs (-160)
The Astros have a .197 ISO against left-handed pitching — the highest mark in the American League.
Strong Lean: Cam Smith 3+ Total Bases (+155)
Smith owns a 185 wRC+ in his 53 plate appearances against LHPs this season. Plus, it’s Coors Field.
