Rockies vs Brewers NLDS Game 1 Odds & Preview

After plenty of drama on Monday and Tuesday, the National League Division Series will both get underway on Thursday. The first begins with Colorado visiting Milwaukee in the early evening. The Brewers won their National League Central division tiebreaker over Chicago on Monday and then awaited the winner of Colorado and Chicago on Tuesday night. Colorado advanced after beating the Cubs, 2-1, in a 13-inning thriller that saw the Rockies’ third-string catcher deliver the winning RBI — and the Rockies blow through their lineup. They show up two days later, no doubt exhausted but also thrilled to make the longer series, ready to face the Brewers. Take a look at our MLB betting thoughts on NLDS Game 1 before you finalize your wager.

Rockies vs Brewers NLDS Game 1 Odds & Preview

#NLDS ROSTER Pitchers: Anderson, Bettis, Davis, Freeland, Johnson, Márquez, Musgrave, Oberg, Oh, Ottavino, Rusin, Senzatela Catchers: Iannetta, Wolters Infielders: Arenado, Desmond, Hampson, LeMahieu, McMahon, Story Outfielders: Blackmon, Dahl, CarGo, Holliday, Parra pic.twitter.com/3zJsnICOoL

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) October 4, 2018

When: Thursday, October 4, 5:07pm ET Where: Miller Park, Milwaukee TV: FS1 Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: MLB.tv Projected Pitching Matchup: Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.38 ERA) (COL) vs Brandon Woodruff (3-0, 3.61 ERA) (MIL)

Why should you bet on the Rockies?

Colorado sends Antonio Senzatela to the hill to start the series opener. He did not face Milwaukee this season, but his team won four of the five games he started in September, and he had a 2-1 record with a 3.25 ERA for the month. In his last three games — starts at San Francisco and Arizona and at home against Philadelphia — he threw a combined 16 ⅔ innings, allowing just three earned runs on 13 combined hits, striking out 13 and walking five. He only went 4 ⅔ innings on September 27 as he got into trouble in the fifth after 95 pitches, but the runners on base didn’t score. Expect Colorado to have a short leash on Senzatela if he starts to struggle. The Colorado offense didn’t do much in the wild card game, but they got just enough to win. Trevor Story went 3 for 6 with a double and scored the winning run. Nolan Arenado and Tony Wolters (that third-string catcher) drove in the two Colorado runs. Arenado and Charlie Blackmon are the offensive leaders for the Rockies, but Ian Desmond has also gotten timely hits along the way. If you like the Rockies, you think that their pitching and hitting can overcome a Milwaukee team that finished 19-6 to catch the Cubs and then knocked them off in the division tiebreaker.

Why should you put your money on the Brewers?

Brandon Woodruff will serve as the “opener” for the Brewers on Thursday. His longest outing in September was a four-inning stint back on September 4, but since then he has pitched more than one inning in a game on just two occasions. He has not allowed a hit since September 22, in an outing in Pittsburgh, and he has not allowed a run since September 11, when he gave up an earned run in Chicago. He has a 0.73 ERA in September and shouldn’t have much trouble in that first inning. However, the “opener” approach hasn’t done much for teams yet in the postseason, as Oakland learned in the shellacking they took from the Yankees in their wild card loss last night. The Brewers get their offensive punch from Christian Yelich (36 HR, 110 RBI, .326 BA) and Jesus Aguilar (35 HR, 108 RBI), along with Travis Shaw (32 HR, 86 RBI). Lorenzo Cain swiped 30 bases for the Brewers along the way. If you like Milwaukee here, you see them taking advantage of a Colorado team that had to play three games in three different time zones in three days from Sunday through Tuesday, the first time that has ever happened in MLB history.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I’ve lost confidence in the “opener” approach to pitching in the playoffs, and I think the Rockies have the momentum going into Thursday afternoon. I predict a final score of Colorado 5, Milwaukee 3.