Houston Astros vs Colorado Rockies Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 04/08/26

The Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies will wrap up their three-game set as the Astros try to avoid being swept in the first leg of their West Coast trip. The last time Houston was swept by Colorado dates back to 2012, when they dropped a four-game series. If the Astros want to salvage this one, pitching will need to improve – but that’s far from guaranteed with Cristina Javier on the mound. Through two starts, Javier is 0-1 with a 12.96 ERA, allowing six runs in each outing. That’s a concern against a Rockies lineup that, while not elite, has been respectable to start the season, hitting .239 and averaging four runs per game. However, the Astros could be in luck as the Rockies are expected to send Michael Lorenzen to the mound who is 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA. Lorenzen is coming off a tough outing against the Phillies where he gave up nine runs on 12 hits in just three innings pitched. 

Offensively, the Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball, ranking third in batting average (.275) while averaging 6.5 runs per game. Even if Javier struggles, Houston has the firepower to keep pace. However, the bullpen is a major concern, as the Astros currently hold the second-worst bullpen ERA in the league at 6.60, compared to the Rockies 3.08. It’s hard to trust either starter in this situation as we haven’t seen either produce a strong start early in the season. With both teams capable of scoring runs, I’m leaning towards the over as I expect both teams to find ways to score runs early on, and the Rockies should be able to add a few extra runs later in the game against this Astros bullpen. 

Astros vs Rockies prediction: Over 11.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.