MLB matchup analysis

Padres vs Rockies Prediction, Odds and Model Pick

Monday, September 14, 2026 at Coors Field · 8:40 PM ET

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Leo prediction: San Diego Padres moneyline

Lab Rating
6.6/10
Model lean
Padres 73.3%
Market probability
65.3%
Model edge
+8.0%
Best moneyline
-200
Sportsbooks checked
9
Leo model
73.3%
Market
65.3%

The case for San Diego Padres

Starting pitcher edge: 18 points
Leo gives Casey Mize a 18-point edge over Tomoyuki Sugano, driven mainly by HR/9 (1.05 vs 1.95) and K/9 (8.0 vs 5.5).
Late-inning bullpen advantage
Colorado Rockies relievers have a 11.74 ERA over the last 7 days; San Diego Padres relievers have a 2.88. If this is still close after six innings, that gap favors San Diego Padres.
Bats are hot: +0.016 wOBA
San Diego Padres is outhitting its own season form over the last 15 days. Recent form is context, not a model input, but it points the same way here.

The case for Colorado Rockies

The case is thin
The model finds little going Colorado Rockies's way — it trails on the pitching plan, bullpen, and recent form. The main path to a Colorado Rockies win is variance.

Why it is not official

Setup quality below the bar
Lab Rating is 6.6/10, under the 7.2/10 required for an official pick.
Own bullpen carries risk: 7.3/10
The San Diego Padres bullpen comes in tired. A lead after six innings is less safe than usual.

Why the setup score is what it is

Conviction: 9.16/10
Leo's win probability for San Diego Padres (73.3%) is well clear of a coin flip -- this is a real, stated lean, not a guess.
Pitching plan: 28/40
Casey Mize rates 71 on Leo's pitcher score, judged on its own merits (50-80 is the credited range). That is a strong start on its own, and it earns most or all of the available credit here.
Offense: 28.54/50
San Diego Padres's recent offensive form clearly outpaces Colorado Rockies's over the tracked windows.

Why the price is what it is

Team strength: 57.4%
Before any pitcher or bullpen adjustment, Leo's team-strength model alone makes San Diego Padres 57.4% to win. Everything below moves the price from this starting point.
Pitcher score gap: 18 points
The pitcher-score gap favors San Diego Padres by 18 points. This is the biggest single mover of the price -- a large gap moves it a lot, a small gap barely moves it.
Bullpen adjustment: +0.081
The bullpen-fatigue gap between the two pens nudges the price toward San Diego Padres. This moves the price less than the starting pitchers do, since a starter covers more of the game than the bullpen.
Net effect: 57.4% -> 73.3%
Team strength alone had San Diego Padres at 57.4%. After the pitcher and bullpen terms, the price is 73.3% -- the same number shown as Model Lean above.
The verdict Worth monitoring, nothing more. The setup has pieces but does not add up to a bet at today's price.
Read the full model output

San Diego Padres remains on the watchlist. Lab Rating 6.6/10: conviction 9.16, pitching plan 28, offense 28.54. Leo projects 73.3% against a 65.3% no-vig market number, a 8.0% model edge at -200. San Diego Padres owns the starting pitcher edge by 18 points. Bullpen read: Supports Leo side. San Diego Padres's pen efficiency: Effective (6.4/10). Lineup check: San Diego Padres is a touch above its season form (+0.048 OPS); Colorado Rockies is a touch below its season form (-0.021 OPS). Recent form supports this side and is included in the unified run projection.

Final result

Padres 8, Rockies 7

How the analysis held up

San Diego Padres won, the side Leo's model favored.

Casey Mize (San Diego Padres), the starter Leo's pitcher score favored, actually outpitched Tomoyuki Sugano: 5.0 IP, 2 ER (3.60 ERA) against 5.0 IP, 6 ER (10.80 ERA). The edge held up.

The San Diego Padres bullpen was flagged as elevated risk pregame (Tired). In relief it actually allowed 5 earned runs over 4.0 innings (11.25 ERA) — the risk read showed up.

The Colorado Rockies bullpen was flagged as elevated risk pregame (High risk). In relief it actually allowed 2 earned runs over 4.0 innings (4.50 ERA) — the risk read showed up.

Colorado Rockies scored 7, 4.5 more than the 2.5 pregame projection.

Game information

MatchupSan Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies
DateMonday, September 14, 2026
First pitch8:40 PM ET
VenueCoors Field
Starting pitchersCasey Mize vs Tomoyuki Sugano
WeatherGame-time forecast: 78°F, 0% precipitation chance, 3 mph wind from NE.

Starting pitcher matchup

Full Pitcher Matchup Tool →
Casey MizePadres · RHP
vs
Tomoyuki SuganoRockies · RHP
MetricPadresRockies
Pitching planTraditional starterTraditional starter
Expected innings55
ThrowsRR
Leo pitcher score (higher is better)7153
ERA (lower is better)3.685.32
WHIP (lower is better)1.111.34
K/9 (higher is better)8.05.5
K-BB% (higher is better)16.0%8.7%
K% (higher is better)21.9%14.3%
BB% (lower is better)5.9%5.5%
BB/9 (lower is better)2.22.1
HR/9 (lower is better)1.11.9
Ground-ball rate35.6%45.8%
Fly-ball rate64.4%54.2%

Pitcher edge: Leo gives Casey Mize a 18-point edge over Tomoyuki Sugano, driven mainly by HR/9 (1.05 vs 1.95) and K/9 (8.0 vs 5.5).

How to read this: the scorecards above name the starters; every number lives in this table.

Strikeout Projections Full strikeout projections →

Casey Mize strikeouts
4.5 Leo projected Ks
Official pick: OVER 3.5K · +1.1K difference
Market 3.5K · O -135 / U +115 · 6 books
Tomoyuki Sugano strikeouts
2.9 Leo projected Ks
No K play · +0.4K difference is below Leo's 0.7K threshold
Market 2.5K · O -171 / U +140 · 6 books

Same data source as the Pitcher Matchup Tool, where every starter on the slate is compared side by side.

Padres are 8-2 in their last 10 and averaging 4.6 runs per game over the last 15 days; Rockies are 2-8 in their last 10 and averaging 4.2 runs per game over the last 15 days. On the season Padres carry the better run differential per game (+0.15 against -1.13).

MetricPadresRockies
Last 108-22-8
Last 10 by venue (away team on the road, home team at home)5-5 on the road3-7 at home
OPS, last 15 days0.7540.716
wOBA, last 15 days (hot/cold read)0.3290.314
Runs per game, last 15 days4.64.2
K% last 15 days (lower is better)20.6%24.6%

Last 15 days only. Hot and cold streaks for all 30 teams live on the Stats page.

30-day offense

Full offense tool →
Last 30 daysPadresRockies
OPS0.724 (+0.016 vs szn)0.721 (-0.019 vs szn)
Runs per game4.37 (+0.057 vs szn)4.32 (-0.365 vs szn)
wOBA (model offense input)0.319 (+0.006 vs szn)0.319 (-0.006 vs szn)
K% (lower is better)20.9% (-0.7% vs szn)23.9% (+1.1% vs szn)

Over the last 30 days the Padres have been the better offense, 0.319 wOBA to 0.319.

Season profile

Full Stats page →
MetricPadresRockies
Record81-6855-94
Run differential / game (team quality)+0.15-1.13
Runs scored / game (offense, season)4.314.69
Runs allowed / game (defense, season, lower better)4.165.82
Season OPS0.7060.737
K% season (lower is better)21.6%22.9%
OPS vs opposing hand (season)0.7110.751

Season-long team quality, not recent form. Run differential and run environment come from the season standings; splits for all 30 teams live on the Stats page, including the run environment table.

Every team on today's slate, on any two axes you pick. Padres and Rockies are highlighted.

Padres
Combined risk
7.3 Tired
Fatigue
8.0 Tired
Efficiency
6.4 Effective
Rockies
Combined risk
10.0 High risk
Fatigue
8.0 Tired
Efficiency
0.9 Struggling

Risk is what the model actually uses: fatigue blended with how well the pen has pitched. High fatigue with high efficiency is a tired pen that is still getting outs.

MetricPadresRockies
Fatigue8.0/10, Tired8.0/10, Tired
Efficiency6.4/10, Effective0.9/10, Struggling
Combined risk7.3/10, Tired10.0/10, High risk
Relief innings, last 7 days25.023.0
Back-to-back arms55
7-day ERA2.8811.74
7-day WHIP0.922.35

Fatigue measures workload. Efficiency measures recent run prevention. Combined risk is what the moneyline and totals systems use.

Run total projection

Full Totals Projections →
Leo projection
10.2
Market total
10.5
Projected away runs
6.9
Projected home runs
2.5
Over price
-114
Under price
-102
San Diego Padres team total
6.9 projected
Line 6.5 · O -106 / U -110
No team-total lean
Colorado Rockies team total
2.5 projected
Line 4.5 · O +100 / U -115
Under research lean (-2.0)

The model and market are close. Team totals remain research-only until their graded sample is established.

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