What was once a competitive National League West division is no more. The Los Angeles Dodgers (63-30) have won 18 of their last 21 games dating back to June 29 and look to add to that stretch when they host the San Francisco Giants (48-46) at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Clayton Kershaw returns to his home mound after starting the All-Star Game there on Tuesday. He is 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.91 WHIP (Walks, Hits per Innings Pitched). The Dodgers are 7-5 in his starts, and the over/under is 5-6-1.
Alex Cobb opposes him for the Giants. Cobb is 3-4 with a 4.09 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. The Giants are 6-8 in his starts, and the over/under is 8-6.
The Dodgers are moneyline favorites at -195 to the Giants’ +165. The run line is almost at a pick ‘em with Giants +1.5 (-115) and Dodgers -1.5 (-105). The over/under is set at eight runs with -115 on the under and -105 on the over.
San Francisco needs its offense
The Giants have been productive moving baserunners once they get on. They have the fourth-best scoring offense at 4.84 runs per game.
However, they are just 22nd in batting average at .237. Their power numbers have been good, with a .722 OPS (12th) and averaging 1.23 home runs per game (10th).
What’s intriguing about their power numbers is that just Joc Pederson (17), Wilmer Flores (13), and Darin Ruf (10) have double-digit home runs and six guys have ten or more doubles led by Mike Yastrzemski’s 20.
Pitching has been league average, allowing 4.36 runs per game and giving up a lot of baserunners with an opposing batting average of .251, the sixth worst in the league. The good news is they limit the damage with the 10th best OPS against of .692 and the best home runs per game rate of 0.8 per contest.
Los Angeles on a tear
The recent stretch the Dodgers are on has put them in the conversation for the best record in baseball alongside the New York Yankees (65-31) and Houston Astros (63-32). The Dodgers do everything well and recently claimed the top pitching staff.
They are allowing 3.29 runs per game, the best in the league, and the third-best batting average against (.216) and OPS (.633). Coupled with the league’s second-best offense, scoring 5.22 runs per game makes them a difficult force. They also have a .255 batting average, ranking fifth, and .773 OPS, which ranks second.
It was the trio of Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and newcomer Freddie Freeman carrying the load, but the streaking Gavin Lux, Will Smith, and Justin Turner has created depth in the lineup.
Pick and Prediction
The moneyline odds are balanced heavily in favor of the Dodgers, and for a good reason with Kershaw on the bump. But Cobb has been solid for the Giants this season.
He’s allowed six earned runs across his last five starts and seems to be finding a groove. Still, he hasn’t faced this explosive of an offense all season.
With the under eight runs being favored, oddsmakers seem to think Cobb won’t get hit too hard, but with the run line nearly a pick ‘em, it may be rough enough the Dodgers win by two or more.
It’s an interesting mix between not a lot of runs yet a dominant Dodgers showing, which has us hesitant to take the run line and packaging it with the under.
Prediction: Dodgers -195
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.