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The San Francisco Giants take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Our MLB odds series has our Giants Dodgers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Giants Dodgers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers blew a 4-2 eighth-inning lead on Wednesday versus the Chicago White Sox. They bounced back to win on Thursday and then led the San Francisco Giants 4-0 heading into the seventh inning on Friday night. Los Angeles was showing signs of turning things around after a tough midweek loss and a generally bumpy stretch of games in which the bullpen has consistently poured kerosene onto the ground and then lit a match. The Dodger bullpen — with Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, and Julio Urias all injured for varying lengths of time this season — has been overworked, but even with a higher workload, it is still staggering how often a large Dodger lead vanishes in 2023. The Dodger pen will blow some late one-run leads; that happens, and it's part of the game. Blowing a 4-0 lead in the seventh, especially on a night when Double-A call-up Emmet Sheehan pitched six no-hit innings, simply isn't acceptable. Yet, that's what the Dodger pen did. Brusdar Graterol and Victor Gonzalez imploded in the seventh and eighth innings, denying Sheehan a win in his sparking debut. The Giants took the game to extra innings and won 7-5 in the 11th, helped by a horrendous baserunning error from the Dodgers. Los Angeles just can't get out of its own way. The Giants, meanwhile, have won eight of 10 and are just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for second place in the National League West. The Giants would be in the N.L.'s third wild card spot if the season ended today. They're five games over .500 at 37-32.
Here are the Giants-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Dodgers Odds
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-138)
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+115)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
How To Watch Giants vs. Dodgers
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants) / SportsNet LA (Dodgers) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. PT
*Watch Giants-Dodgers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers are simply a mess right now. They have suffered some injuries, but they have also been hit hard by regression from James Outman, who was excellent in April but has tailed off in recent weeks. Trayce Thompson was superb late last season, but he has not been good this year. The margin for error is small, and the Dodgers just aren't getting enough contributions from enough players.
We also took note of the horrendous Dodger bullpen, which has given up over 140 earned runs this season after allowing just 185 earned runs in 162 games in the 2022 regular season. If the game goes into the final innings tied or close, as was the case on Friday night, it's advantage Giants.
We also have to say that the Giants are rolling. Remember how bad they were to start the season? They were 6-13 through 18 games. They are 31-19 in their last 50 games, and they have made a steady upward climb.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers have their bullpen problems, but they can regularly score five runs per game. They have scored five or more in three of their last four games, and in the one game in which they didn't score five, they scored four. They don't need spectacular pitching, just decent pitching, to win. As frustrating as the season has been, they're still eight games over .500 with all their flaws and stumbles. This is still a talented team with the capability to play really well.
Final Giants-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers are the better team, but that bullpen makes it hard to trust them. Just stay away from this game.
Final Giants-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5
