by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2022
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Where to watch: AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain, Bally Sports Southwest
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Rangers -150, Rockies +130
BetMGM: Rangers -160, Rockies +135
Caesars: Rangers -161, Rockies +140
Season record
Rockies: 3-1
Rangers: 1-3
What a strong opening weekend for Scott Rickenbach going 3-0-0 with his best MLB picks. Opening weekend definitely showcased some intriguing matchups in this very-early stages of baseball, but we know it's a six-month marathon, not a sprint, for some of these teams. The same applies for baseball betting and not getting too caught up with the sticker shock of it all. Catch Scott's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Rockies - Rangers preview and analysis
So THAT’S why people clamor for robot umpires, for stupid things like this.
Because there’s no reason why the Texas Rangers should’ve lost that game Monday against the Colorado Rockies the way that they did. The only reason Texas should’ve lost that game is for any other reason besides putting it in the umpire’s hands.
And there were a lot of reasons why Texas should’ve lost that game. And once again, it came down to the Texas bullpen not getting the job done.
Colorado’s 6-4 win at Globe Life Park on Monday is going to come with an asterisk based on a slide that somehow impeded the progress of the potential double play, whether we want to agree with that notion or not is a moot point.
But the Rangers carried a 3-2 lead late into the game, gave up the tying run, and then gave up a C.J. Cron home run to left center in the top of the ninth to give Colorado the lead. Had it not been for folk hero Willie Calhoun’s moon shot to right, the Rangers would not have had the option to win this game.
But alas, this is going to be the Rangers all season. And perhaps this is why they spent a half-billion dollars to improve their lineup, because they knew pitching was not going to be an option outside of the rotation. Hence why Texas has now dropped three of its first four with blown leads in all three losses. Oof.
But I suppose that’s why they play 162 games and it’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s only so much you can expect from a team that lost more than 100 games last season. At the very least, there’s going to be a chance this group can rebuild quickly if they can not blow games.
"The rule is, you have to make contact with the dirt before the base and you have to slide into the bag first and you have to be able to maintain grasp of the bag or touch the base. All of those things, I did," Rangers catcher Mitch Garver said, the one who was ruled out at second. "Momentum carried me through the top of the bag. That's a baseball play, man."
But as mentioned earlier, it’s about closing games so that it doesn’t get to that point.
"It's more of a technicality at the end," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "It's really frustrating to lose a game like that. ... There's nothing we can do about that. We have to play better baseball, towards the end of games."
But the Rockies are off to a 3-1 start regardless of the outcome and did that on the heels of wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers to start the season. Colorado might not yet be there in terms of contention, but it’s been a great start for the newly-signed Kris Bryant after going 2-for-5 and rounding the bases twice. Cron also had two hits, and Connor Joe drove in a run on a 2-for-5 day.
"At first, I didn't really think we were going to get the replay. Then I finally saw the replay, and I did think that it probably was interference," Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers said. "But the heat of the moment, I thought I had to rush the throw a little because I know (Adolis) Garcia can run a little bit."
What fresh hell will we endure in the second game of this series? One can only imagine.
Prediction
It’s going to need to be like Texas’ finale against Toronto that the runs will need to come in waves in order to get a win. Until the Rangers get their bullpen in order, they need the offense to click the way it has and score 7-8 runs a game. I think in this finale, Texas can get that before the stretch against the Los Angeles Angels. Rangers win 8-5
Betting trends
Rockies are 27-41 the past three seasons as an underdog of +125 to +175.
Rockies are 38-31 (+16.8 net games on ML) the past three seasons against left-handed starters.
Rangers are 11-19 last three seasons as a favorite of -110 or higher.
Projected lineup
Rockies:
Connor Joe (R) DH
Charlie Blackmon (L) RF
Kris Bryant (R) LF
C.J. Cron (R) 1B
Brendan Rodgers (R) 2B
Ryan McMahon (L) 3B
Randal Grichuk (R) CF
Elias Diaz (R) C
Jose Iglesias (R) SS
Connor Joe (R) DH
Charlie Blackmon (L) RF
Kris Bryant (R) LF
C.J. Cron (R) 1B
Brendan Rodgers (R) 2B
Ryan McMahon (L) 3B
Randal Grichuk (R) CF
Elias Diaz (R) C
Jose Iglesias (R) SS
Rangers:
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) C
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Andy Ibanez (R) DH
Nick Solak (R) LF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Charlie Culberson (R) 3B
Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Mitch Garver (R) C
Adolis Garcia (R) CF
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Andy Ibanez (R) DH
Nick Solak (R) LF
Kole Calhoun (L) RF
Charlie Culberson (R) 3B
Starting pitchers
COL: Chad Kuhl
TEX: Martin Perez
Statistical leaders
Rockies:
Batting average: Jose Iglesias -- .455
Hits: Two tied -- 6
Home runs: Two tied -- 2
RBI: C.J. Cron -- 4
Wins: N/A
Saves: Ty Blach -- 1
ERA: German Marquez -- 1.29
Rangers:
Batting average: Nathaniel Lowe -- .400
Hits: Corey Seager -- 7
Home runs: Brad Miller -- 2
RBI: Two tied -- 5
Wins: N/A
Saves: N/A
ERA: Taylor Hearn -- 2.25
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
