MLB Best Bets: Rockies, Dodgers and Chase Burns Highlight Monday Picks

The Colorado Rockies established a franchise record for runs scored on Sunday and it didn’t even occur at Coors Field. It came at a minor league ballpark in Las Vegas where the ball flies for minor leaguers, let alone big leaguers with much more strength.

Athletics strong man Nick Kurtz hit the longest homer (471 feet) in the majors this season on Friday and the Rockies’ play-by-play announcer said the ball landed in Reno. He was only partially exaggerating when it comes to balls traveling in Sin City and the Rockies showed that with six homers among 24 hits in Sunday’s 23-9 victory.

The Rockies try to follow up that showing with a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. We’ll also study the Tampa Bay Rays visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at the Cincinnati Reds.

COLORADO ROCKIES AT CHICAGO CUBS

Oddsmakers aren’t swayed by the Colorado rampage and are pinpointing the Rockies to score nearly 20 fewer runs on Monday when left-hander Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.44 ERA) takes the mound for the Cubs. Imanaga received a no-decision while throwing five innings of two-hit shutout ball against the Rockies last Wednesday at Denver after serving up 12 homers over his previous four starts.

Imanaga is 0-4 over his last six starts and Colorado should pack some confidence against the Cubs after taking two of three in Chicago last week. Factor in the Sunday onslaught in which Willi Castro (seven RBIs) and Hunter Goodman (five hits) each hit two homers and the Rockies bring momentum into the Windy City.

Chicago had a three-game winning streak end with Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants after scoring 20 runs over the previous three games. Ian Happ has three homers in the last five games for the Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong is 6-for-10 with two homers and two doubles over the last two contests.

Colorado to score more than 3.5 runs, -125 (DraftKings)

TAMPA BAY RAYS AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Only five teams have winning percentages above .600 and the Dodgers (.625) and Rays (.603) are two of them. Los Angeles leads the majors with a +141-run differential while the Rays are only outscoring their opponents by eight runs. These teams met in the 2020 World Series when the Dodgers prevailed in six games.

Los Angeles is just 3-4 over its last seven games and Shohei Ohtani appears to be OK after missing a game Friday due to left knee inflammation. He homered in his return against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday before going 0-for-2 with two walks and strikeouts on Sunday. Ohtani is just 1-for-10 against Rays right-hander Nick Martinez.

Martinez (6-2, 2.43 ERA) has been good against most everybody this season and he will look to help Tampa Bay win for the fifth time in the past seven games. Junior Caminero (15 homers) hit one of the Rays’ three blasts in Sunday’s 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels and it was his first since June 1.

Los Angeles to win minus 1.5 runs, +123 (DraftKings)

NEW YORK METS AT CINCINNATI REDS

The Mets (National League East) and Reds (NL Central) are in last place in their respective divisions but both teams are just one hot streak away from being in the thick of the wild-card race. New York just took two of three from the torrid Atlanta Braves and has won six of its past 10 games while the Reds are going the wrong direction with 12 losses in a span of 16 games.

Cincinnati has hope in the opener as right-hander Chase Burns (88 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings) takes the mound. Burns, 23, beat the Mets 7-2 on May 26 in New York when he struck out eight and gave up two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. Burns is 7-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 13 starts.

A.J. Ewing homered among three hits and four other Mets had two in Sunday’s 8-1 trouncing of the Braves. Juan Soto has four consecutive two-hit outings but still has just five RBIs for the month after driving in two on Sunday.

Chase Burns to strike out eight or more batters, +104 (DraftKings)