Rockies vs Cubs MLB Baseball Lines & Expert Prediction with Chicago favored on the Odds but without Justin Steele

The Chicago Cubs play their home opener on Monday afternoon against a really bad Colorado Rockies team, and it’s the MLB regular-season debut of Cubs Japanese import Shota Imanaga. The Cubbies are heavy favorites on the MLB odds.

MLB Expert Analysis Colorado vs Chicago Cubs | MyBookie Sportsbook MLB Week 1 2024 Season

How to Bet Rockies at Cubs MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 2:20 PM ET
Where: Wrigley Field
Probable pitchers (away/home): Dakota Hudson/Shota Imagana
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Cubs -220, Rockies +180 (total 3.5)

Why Bet on Colorado Rockies?

Oakland is probably the worst team in the majors but the Rockies may not be far behind. It’s a return to Wrigley Field for ex-Cubs NL Rookie of the Year and NL MVP Kris Bryant, although he’s a shell of what he used to be nowadays and didn’t even start Sunday’s series finale in Arizona. Leadoff hitter and outfielder Charlie Blackmon also didn’t start after going 3-for-11 with a double, a triple, three RBI, two runs and a stolen base in the first three games of the season.

The 2024 season is Blackmon’s 14th on the Rockies’ Major League roster, the second-most seasons in Rockies history behind Todd Helton’s 17. With an RBI triple Friday, Blackmon recorded his 750th career RBI, moving him past Carlos González for fifth place in franchise history. His 752 RBI are eight behind Nolan Arenado in fourth place (760 RBI). Blackmon’s 64 career triples are the most in franchise history and the most among all active players.

It’s former St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson on the mound for the Rockies in his team debut. He was signed to a one-year deal in January. It’s hard for the Rockies to lure pitchers there because of the thin air in home games in Denver. The last starter to ink an MLB deal to come from elsewhere to pitch at Colorado’s altitude was Chad Kuhl in 2022. Before Hudson, Kuhl was the only starter to accept a MLB deal from the club since Bud Black took over as manager in 2017. José Ureña also signed with the team on an MLB contract as a starter in ‘23, but that was after signing a Minor League deal the previous year, earning his keep and wanting to continue.

The 29-year-old Huston had excellent numbers early in his career with the Cardinals but lost much of 2020 and 2021 because of Tommy John surgery. However, he finished last season healthy and went 6-3 with a 4.98 ERA in 16 games (12 starts) in the majors. Hudson won a rotation job in spring training.

“They have a pitch lab here that I threw a couple of bullpens on, and it was about matching my stretch delivery with my windup,” Hudson said. “I did a few things to simplify my hits. There’s a little bit less movement and more direction. I’ve been able to really tighten things up and put everything over the plate more consistently.”

Hudson is 3-0 with a 3.72 ERA (36.1 IP, 15 ER) in 10 career appearances (five starts) against the Cubs, including 3-0 with a 4.29 ERA (21.0 IP, 10 ER) in six appearances (three starts) at Wrigley Field.

Bet Rockies to Win
MLB Daily Lines

Why Bet on Chicago Cubs?

The Cubs had a rough opening series at defending World Series champion Texas. To make matters worse, ace Justin Steele is expected to miss the entire month of April with his left hamstring strain. He was hurt in the season opener. Imaging on Steele’s left hamstring revealed a Grade 1 strain, which is far from ideal, but also far from any potential worst-case scenarios.

“It’s probably better than at least I anticipated,” Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday. “He’s really much better today. He played catch today, which was a great sign. I think he’s going to miss the month of April.”

Steele won 16 games in a breakout showing last season for the Cubs, piling up 176 strikeouts against 36 walks with a 3.06 ERA in 173 1/3 innings. He was a first-time All-Star and was in the hunt for the Cy Young Award. Ben Brown was called up from Triple-A to take his rotation spot but will pitch out of the bullpen. Brown is coming off a strong showing this spring, in which he spun a 0.64 ERA with 12 strikeouts and five walks in 14 innings (five appearances).

On Saturday, Brown became the 2,230th player to appear in at least one regular season game for the Cubs in franchise history. It didn’t go well, though, as Brown was charged with six runs in his 1 2/3 innings, but he averaged 97.2 mph on his fastball. While the righty’s curveball netted four whiffs out of eight swings by the Rangers, it was inconsistent in his first taste of The Show.

“You’ve got to turn the page really fast,” Counsell said. “When you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up. That’s how the game works. It was an outing where we’re just trying to get through the game and get his feet wet. And some good hitters made him pay.”

Lefty Shota Imagana makes his MLB regular-season debut on Monday for the Cubs. They won a bidding war for his services this offseason with a four-year worth $53 million guaranteed. After the 2025 and ‘26 seasons, Chicago will have the option to extend the deal to five years ($80 million total). If the deal is not extended in either offseason, Imanaga will have the right to elect free agency.

The Cubs also had to pay a posting fee to his Japanese team Yokohama of just under $10 million. Last year with the club, Imanaga was 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA (46 ER/148.0 IP) in 22 games (20 starts). He led the Japan Central League with a career-high 174 strikeouts and earned his second career NPB All-Star nod.

This spring, Imagana was 2-2 with a 5.68 ERA (8 ER/12.2 IP) and 25 strikeouts in four Cactus League starts. His 25 strikeouts were the third-most among Cactus League pitchers. He struck out at least five batters in all four of his starts, including nine March 14 vs. Oakland.

Bet Cubs to Win
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Expert Prediction

Cubs 5, Rockies 3

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