May 18, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) looks on after a field attendant interfered with a live ball in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
- The Rockies face the Pirates on Tuesday night
- Colorado is a +106 underdog for the second game of this series
- Find the Rockies vs Pirates odds, preview, and picks below
The Colorado Rockies (19-22, 5-11 away) visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday as they continue a long road trip on the East Coast. The first pitch is set for 6:35 PM ET at PNC Park.
The Rox go with lefty Kyle Freeland here, while the Bucs have yet to announce who will start for them.
Rockies vs Pirates Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies | +106 | +1.5 (-210) | O 8.0 (-102) |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | -124 | -1.5 (+172) | U 8.0 (-120) |
Odds as of May 23rd at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Colorado vs Pittsburgh Probable Pitchers
Pitching has been a serious problem for Colorado and Freeland is, unfortunately, a part of their struggles. The 29-year-old is just 1-4 with a 4.85 ERA in eight starts this season, striking out 34 batters in 42.2 innings of work. The southpaw has surrendered nine earned runs across his last two outings, but his most recent start was respectable. Freeland held the Giants to three runs in six frames while striking out eight San Francisco hitters.
Kyle Freeland, 7th and 8th Ks. pic.twitter.com/1tEnrj9pYO
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2022
Freeland is yet to face the Bucs in 2022, but he owns a lifetime 3.95 ERA against them in six appearances. Their current lineup is hitting just .195 vs. Freeland over a small sample size of 17 at-bats.
Freeland vs Keller
| 1-4 | Record | 1-5 |
| 4.85 | ERA | 6.37 |
| 1.57 | WHIP | 1.56 |
| .307 | OBA | .288 |
The Pirates haven’t said Mitch Keller will pitch here, but there is a good chance he does. The righty last took the mound on Wednesday and only went 2.2 innings after falling out of the rotation. Wil Crowe served as an opener that day, but he ended up pitching on Monday night in relief to JT Brubaker.
Highest ERA since 2020 by any pitcher currently on a major-league roster (min. 100 IP):
1. Austin Voth (6.29)
2. Vince Velasquez (6.04)
3. Mitch Keller (5.77)— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) May 24, 2022
The 26-year-old Keller is in the midst of a brutal campaign, though. He’s 1-5 with a 6.37 ERA. If his last outing is any indication, perhaps Keller is turning things around. It’ll likely just be an opener role before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
Rockies Dominating This Matchup
Colorado isn’t playing great baseball lately, but they have dominated the Pirates in recent memory. The Rockies are 4-1 in their last five games against Pittsburgh, outscoring them 21-6. Colorado’s offense is actually one of the best in the MLB this season, ranking top-five in almost every major category.
If @RGrich15 keeps catching them,
we will keep posting them 😤‼️ pic.twitter.com/LEKo1XnAO2— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 22, 2022
It’s the pitching that has killed this team in 22′, posting a dismal 4.87 ERA as a group. As you can see by Freeland’s numbers, the Rox rarely win when he’s on the mound. Hopefully, that can change on Tuesday. The bats will need to be much better than the series opener, collecting only seven hits and a lone run. Top- 10 NL MVP odds candidate CJ Cron also went 0 for 4.
Pirates End Losing Streak
Pittsburgh doesn’t have a lot to be happy about right now, sitting at 17-24. But, they did break out of a three-game losing streak on Tuesday with a slim 2-1 victory over Colorado.
Yoshi delivers!! pic.twitter.com/PfydERypZ6
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 24, 2022
Ke’Bryan Hayes smacked an RBI double in the first inning that drove in Ben Gamel before Yoshi Tsutsugo came up big with a go-ahead infield RBI single in the bottom of the eighth which saw Hayes cross the plate. David Bednar then pitched a clean ninth inning to grab his ninth save of the year.
Rockies vs Pirates – Recent History
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/23/22 | Pirates | Rockies | PIT, 2-1 |
| 06/30/21 | Rockies | Pirates | COL, 6-2 |
| 06/29/21 | Rockies | Pirates | COL, 8-0 |
| 06/28/21 | Rockies | Pirates | COL, 2-0 |
| 05/30/21 | Pirates | Rockies | COL, 4-3 |
| 05/29/21 | Pirates | Rockies | PIT, 4-0 |
| 05/29/21 | Pirates | Rockies | PIT, 7-0 |
Rockies vs Pirates Prediction
Colorado’s offense is too good to not figure it out sooner rather than later. That’s just one run in their last two games and there won’t be anyone consistent on the mound for Pittsburgh, whether it’s Keller or someone else. I like the Rockies to bounce back here.
Pick: Rockies moneyline (+106)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT ’17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.