This one's a mismatch on paper before anyone takes a swing. Kyle Freeland (1-6, 8.08) gets the ball for the Rockies opposite José Soriano (6-4, 2.65), who has spent most of the spring in the early-season Cy Young chatter and finished April as the AL Pitcher of the Month. Pinnacle has the Angels at -205 on the moneyline and the total sitting at 8.5.
Freeland's last time out was a 4-inning, 8-earned-run beating in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, and that fits the pattern — he's been hammered since coming back from shoulder inflammation, with a May ERA reported in double digits. Soriano walked 4 in his last start against Detroit and took the loss, so he's not invincible, but a sinker that averages 98 and a 66% groundball rate is a brutal look for a Coors-built lineup playing on the road.
Both clubs are limping in. The Rockies just got buried 19-6 by the Giants on Saturday after stacking back-to-back wins, which is basically the season in miniature. The Angels dropped 2 of 3 to Tampa and have been alternating wins and losses for a week. Two sub-.500 teams, identical vibes, separated only by the fact that one of them is rolling out an ace tonight.
The injury sheets explain a lot of the offense problem on the visitors' side. Brenton Doyle, Mickey Moniak, Jordan Beck and Kris Bryant are all out, TJ Rumfield is day-to-day with a shoulder issue after getting scratched Sunday, and the rotation is a triage unit with Quintana, Dollander and McCade Brown all on the IL. The Angels are dealing with their own pile — Nolan Schanuel, Yoan Moncada and Travis d'Arnaud are all on the 10-day, and Yusei Kikuchi is still working back from a shoulder.
- Day-To-DayTJ Rumfield 1B — Rumfield was removed from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants due to right shoulder inflammation, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrenton Doyle CF — The Rockies announced Friday that Doyle (oblique) has been able to take part in some pool exercises since landing on the 10-day injured list May 21, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMickey Moniak LF — Moniak has been limited to rest and recovery since landing on the 10-day injured list May 22 due to right ankle tendinitis, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Beck LF — Beck (hamstring) was able to begin a running progression this past week, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJimmy Herget RP — Herget (shoulder) was cleared to resume playing catch May 24, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILNolan Schanuel 1B — An MRI on Schanuel's left ankle revealed tendinitis, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Joyce (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program in Arizona, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
The case for Colorado is basically "Freeland figures it out and the bullpen holds," which is a tough sell at -118 on the runline. The case for the over is more interesting — Freeland has given up 5 homers in May alone, and even a quiet Soriano start tends to involve traffic given the walks. If you're betting this, the total is where the angle lives. If you're just watching, root for chaos.