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The Los Angeles Dodgers get set to square off with the San Francisco Giants by the bay on Friday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Dodgers-Giants prediction and pick.
We have an exciting rivalry series between the third-place Dodgers and the first-place Giants in the NL West. Both teams are red hot as the Dodgers just swept the Diamondbacks and the Giants have won five in a row. In what should be a pitcher's duel between two early Cy Young candidates, which team will have the edge?
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Dodgers-Giants odds.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Giants Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+124)
San Francisco Giants +1.5 (-137)
Over 6.5 Runs (-115)
Under 6.5 Runs (-105)
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a weird and uncharacteristic start to their season. The defending champs began the year by winning 13 of their first 15 games, which makes a whole lot of sense when you look at this roster. Los Angeles proceeded to lose a ton of games toward the end of April and beginning of May. The Dodgers seem to be returning to form as they've pulled off two sweeps in their last three series to date.
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With just two games separating these two clubs in the NL West standings, the Dodgers will have a great opportunity to ride their momentum to the top of the division by the end of the weekend. The Dodgers have been lighting up the scoreboard lately and their 224 runs rank third in all of baseball this season. They have averaged 5.09 runs per game despite Mookie Betts' struggles to open the year.
The Dodgers will send reigning Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer to the mound for the opener. Bauer has been electrifying since joining the Dodgers staff. The Dodger right-hander has been dealing deep into games for his club on a regular basis. Bauer is averaging over six innings per start and has struck out 77 batters, which is fourth in the Majors.
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
In a loaded division with the Dodgers and Padres, not many would've predicted this team to lead the division at this point in May. San Francisco currently sits at the top with a 28-16 start to the season. The Giants are now riding a five-game winning streak into this series after their 19-4 victory against the Reds on Thursday. They have been absolutely crushing the ball as they outscored the Reds 33-9 in the previous series. The Giants have hit 62 long balls as a club, which is good for second in all of baseball.
Left-hander Alex Wood will man the mound for the Giants in the series opener. Wood signed a one-year deal worth $3M in the offseason and has earned every penny already. The Giants southpaw is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA on the young season. He is averaging six innings of work per outing and the Giants have won five of his first six starts. With the run support that he is provided, it's hard to believe that Wood will lose many games if he keeps dealing the way he has.
Final Dodgers-Giants Prediction & Pick
This game should be full of fireworks. Two of the best arms in baseball are tasked with slowing down two of the hottest lineup's in baseball. Despite the tremendous start that Alex Wood has had, I still give the slight edge to Trevor Bauer in this matchup. With that being said, I like San Francisco to keep this game close with a chance to win late. The Giants are 14-4 at home this season and haven't backed down to the defending champs yet.
FINAL PICK: San Francisco Giants +1.5 (-137)
