posted April 25, 2008 at 13:36 in MLB Free Picks

The Colorado Rockies made it all the way to the World Series last season, but so far this year they have been an online baseball betting fan’s nightmare and haven’t played like serious championship contenders. With pitching looking like a problem, the Rockies hit the road this weekend for a three-game series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers – and a chance to get back on the winning track.

Colorado’s pitching problems were certainly highlighted this past week. Staff ace Jeff Francis was knocked around for four earned runs on six hits and four walks over seven innings against the Phillies on Tuesday; the lefthander actually picked up a no-decision in that contest, but the control issues boosted his ERA to 5.68 on the season. Francis has given up at least four earned runs in three of his four starts for the Rockies this year.

Not to be outdone, Rockies closer Manny Corpas blew back-to-back save chances on Tuesday and Wednesday versus the Phillies and Cubs. In the game against Philadelphia, Corpas allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk in his inning of work, and against Chicago the righthander surrendered two earned runs on two hits in the ninth inning. That made four blown saves over eight chances, and an ERA of 7.50.

So with their two most important pitchers struggling it’s no wonder that the Rockies find themselves below the .500 mark heading into this weekend’s three-game road series with the Dodgers. Whether or not the shell-shocked Corpas gets much work in the days ahead remains to be seen (he’s already been demoted to a setup role), but Francis is projected to start for Colorado again Sunday.

And Francis is expected to face Dodgers lefthander Hong-Chih Kuo in that contest. Kuo replaced Esteban Loaiza in Los Angeles’ rotation, but his hold on that job might be slipping – he surrendered five earned runs on eight hits in 3 2-3 innings pitched versus the Reds on Tuesday. The lefthander had previously allowed one run in 11 1-3 innings.

Friday night’s series opener is expected to feature a matchup of the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 4.64 ERA) and the Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 2.92 ERA), while Saturday is set for a meeting between the Rockies’ Mark Redman (2-1, 5.23 ERA) and the Dodgers’ Brad Penny (3-2, 2.67 ERA). Penny had a couple of stumbles earlier in the year, but he has won two straight starts by allowing one earned run over 11 2-3 innings.

Check the BetUS MLB Betting lines section for all of the latest MLB odds and totals for this weekend.

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