On Sunday, the San Diego Padres (23-13) face off against the Colorado Rockies (6-31) at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Keep up to date with all the MLB action, with our expert MLB picks.

Colorado comes into this matchup on a six-game losing streak prior to their first two games against San Diego. During the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against Detroit, the Colorado Rockies suffered a tough 11-1 defeat. Tanner Gordon was on the mound for Colorado, pitching 6.1 innings. He surrendered a total of nine hits and gave up four earned runs, while managing to walk just one batter and strike out four opposing hitters. On offense, Jordan Beck and Hunter Goodman are currently tied as the Rockies’ leading home run hitters, each having sent five balls over the fence so far this season. Right behind them are Brenton Doyle, Ryan McMahon, and Michael Toglia, each of whom has contributed four home runs apiece. Hunter Goodman has also proven to be the Rockies’ most consistent run producer, racking up a team-high eighteen RBIs this year. Offensively, Goodman leads the club with a .264 batting average, making him Colorado’s top hitter in that statistic as well. Defensively, the Rockies have struggled mightily, especially in their most recent stretch—over their last five games, they have allowed opponents to score an average of 8.8 runs, the highest in the MLB so far this season. With these challenges, Colorado is hoping to rally and put together some offense to challenge the San Diego Padres, a much stronger opponent. On average, the Rockies are managing to score only 3.1 runs per game, highlighting their struggles at the plate throughout the season.

San Diego enters this game on a two-game losing streak, but has won three of their last five games prior to their first two games against Colorado. In their 4-3 extra-innings defeat against the Yankees, Jackson Merrill had a strong performance for the Padres, going 2-for-4 at the plate, which included a home run. He contributed by scoring a run and driving in two RBIs. So far, Fernando Tatis Jr. has established himself as San Diego’s top power hitter, leading the team with eight home runs. Following him, both Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets have each hit four home runs, tying them for second place on the team. Tatis Jr. isn’t just leading in home runs—he’s also at the top of the Padres' RBI leaderboard, having driven in 19 runs so far. Additionally, he boasts the highest batting average on the team, hitting .319 for the season. Looking at recent performance, the Padres have averaged 3.2 runs per game over their last five contests, and they currently trail the division-leading Dodgers by just one game in the NL West standings. With an overall average of 4 runs scored per game this season, San Diego is aiming to get back in the win column as they travel to Denver for a series against the struggling Colorado Rockies.

Craig's 5 Free Expert Picks - Saturday 12/3/22