Padres vs. Rockies: Picks, predictions, how to watch Thursday’s game

The San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 3:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Coors Field in Denver, CO, and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Blake Snell (1-5, 4.66 ERA) will step on the mound for the Padres while Kyle Freeland (4-7, 4.70 ERA) will get the nod for the Rockies.

Colorado (40-49) have taken two straight in this four-game series and emerged victorious with a 10-6 victory over the Padres last night. The Rockies’ bats exploded late, posting three straight three-run innings. With the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, Sam Hilliard put the home team on top with a line drive single to left that plated Elias Diaz. Three batters later, Jose Iglesias single scored two more runners to give them some more cushion.

San Diego (50-40) got the party started early when Jake Cronenworth homered to give the visitors a quick 1-0 lead. With the game tied 3-3 in the top of the sixth, base hits by Cronenworth, Nomar Mazara, and Eric Hosmer produced runs to put them back on top. The Padres would relinquish that lead quickly and managed to get just one runner on base in the final two innings.

Padres vs. Rockies

Pitchers: Blake Snell vs. Kyle Freeland
First pitch: 3:10 p.m. ET
Padres local broadcast: Bally Sports San Diego
Rockies local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Rockies -1.5 (+110), Padres +1.5 (-130)
Run total: 11.5
Moneyline odds: Padres -135, Rockies +115

Moneyline pick: Padres -135

We’ll wager on the Padres taking this afternoon matchup to force a split for the four-game series. Snell has started to regain some of his command and has been lights out through his last two starts, striking out 23 batters while yielding just two earned runs. Lean with San Diego on the moneyline.

Player prop pick: Manny Machado over 1.5 hits (+120)

Machado hasn’t been explosive at the plate during the Padres’ midweek series against the Rockies, going 3-14 through three games. However, he’ll have a favorable matchup this afternoon against Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, whom he owns a .313 average against through 32 career at bats. Expect a multi-hit day for the NL All-Star.

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