While all 30 MLB teams are in action on Friday, only one game is set for an afternoon start. The Chicago Cubs welcome the Colorado Rockies to Wrigley Field to begin a three-game weekend series. Chicago is 79-74 this season, though the Cubs dropped two of three games to the Rockies earlier this month. Colorado is 56-96 and aiming to stop a four-game losing skid on Friday.
SportsLine consensus lists Chicago as the -233 money-line favorite (risk $233 to win $100) for this 2:20 p.m. ET first pitch. The total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 8.5 in the latest Rockies vs. Cubs odds. Before making any Cubs vs. Rockies picks, be sure to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons. It entered the penultimate full week of the 2023 MLB season 84-66 on all top-rated MLB picks this season and has excelled on top-rated run-line picks, going 15-5 (+653). Anybody following has seen big returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Cubs vs. Rockies and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several MLB betting lines and trends for Rockies vs. Cubs:
- Cubs vs. Rockies money line: Cubs -233, Rockies +192
- Cubs vs. Rockies over/under: 8.5 runs
- Cubs vs. Rockies run line: Cubs -1.5 (-115)
- COL: The Rockies are 21-37 in day games
- CHI: The Cubs are 35-34 in day games
- Cubs vs. Rockies picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Rockies
Colorado is facing a Chicago team that is not playing its best baseball. The Cubs are just 1-7 in the last eight games, and Friday's projected starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 5.27 ERA this season. Taillon has allowed 1.7 home runs per nine innings in 2023, and opponents have an .840 OPS against him at Wrigley Field. Taillon also allowed five runs (three earned) in a loss to Colorado earlier this month, and the Rockies have a budding standout in Nolan Jones.
The 25-year-old outfielder has 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 96 games this season, slugging .524 and posting an .898 OPS. Jones is also scalding hot, producing a .320/.420/.598 slash line in the last 33 games. From there, the Rockies do have intriguing numbers in a few key categories, headlined by the second-most doubles (282) and the third-most triples (30) in the National League in 2023. See which team to back here.
Why you should back the Cubs
Chicago has been very strong at home this season, and the Cubs have a potent offense. The Cubs enter the weekend in the top five of the National League in runs scored, with that productivity backed by top-tier marks in walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, triples and stolen bases. Chicago is also facing a floundering Rockies team that has major flaws. Colorado projects to deploy Noah Davis as the starting pitcher for Friday, and he has a 9.98 ERA this season with 1.74 home runs allowed per nine innings.
Behind him, the Rockies are last in the NL with a 5.28 bullpen ERA, and Colorado's offense is also relatively meager. The Rockies have more strikeouts (1,437) than any other team in the National League, and Colorado is also last with a .310 on-base percentage. The Rockies are also firmly in the bottom three in home runs (146) and stolen bases (68), with an ugly 22-56 record away from Coors Field in 2023. See which team to back here.
How to make Cubs vs. Rockies picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 11.1 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all of the value. You can only get the model's MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Rockies vs. Cubs, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has gone 84-66 on its top-rated MLB picks, and find out.
