The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a sprint to close the season, but are still two games behind the Giants in the NL West going in to their matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. As the Dodgers look for a fourth straight win and the Brewers look to get back on track after losing to St. Louis, let’s continue our MLB odds series and make a Brewers-Dodgers prediction and pick based on Brewers Dodgers odds.

Los Angeles currently stands at 103-56 and is 55-23 at home. If you put $100 on every single Dodgers game so far this season, you’d be down $193 on the moneyline.

Milwaukee currently stands at 95-64 and is 50-28 on the road. If you put $100 on every single Brewers game so far this season, you’d be up $924 on the moneyline.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Brewers-Dodgers odds.

MLB Odds: Brewers-Dodgers Odds

Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Milwaukee Brewers ML (+195)

Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-215)

Over 8 Runs (-110)

Under 8 Runs (-110)

Why The Brewers Could Win This Game

With their matchup for the postseason set, the Brewers are just looking to start the playoffs on the right foot. They will send Eric Lauer to the mound tonight looking to start the win streak.

Lauer has been an underrated piece of the Brewers deadly rotation. The lefty has made 23 appearances for Milwaukee this year and currently holds a 2.93 ERA. Factor this into your Brewers Dodgers prediction.

The Brewers are an excellent road team, and Lauer has been a big reason for this. In his last five road starts, he's allowed one or less earned runs in four out of five outings, and struck out 28 batters in 24 innings. Consider this when making a Brewers Dodgers pick.

Even as a predominantly flyball pitcher, the southpaw has been great at limiting the home run. Over 113.2 innings this year, Lauer has only allowed 14 home runs. This is extremely important against a Dodgers team that has hit the fourth most home runs in the league and is currently on a homer tear, hitting 10 home runs in their last two games.

If Lauer continues to limit the long ball, he could keep this Dodgers lineup under wraps and give the offense a shot at doing enough damage to Clayton Kershaw to win this game and buck the MLB odds.

Kershaw has been good by MLB standards, but not by his personal high standards. In his three starts since returning from a two month injury hiatus, Kershaw has pitched to a 3.29 ERA and hasn't gone past the five inning mark. This is part of the calculus in a Brewers Dodgers prediction.

The Brewers have limited experience against Kershaw, but a couple Milwaukee players have amassed some good stats against the ace. Christian Yelich is batting .500 against Kershaw in 12 at-bats, and Lorenzo Cain is 4-13 with a homer of his own. Avisail Garcia is actually 4-4 against the lefty, and will almost certainly be slotted in the lineup today.

Milwaukee certainly has a shot of getting to the ace who's control has been shaky of late, allowing two walks and two homers in his last 13.1 innings. Look for the Brewers to do at least some damage to Kershaw before he cedes to the bullpen. You might find value relative to the MLB odds.

Why The Dodgers Could Win This Game

The Dodgers need to sweep the series for two reasons: it will give them a chance to actually win the division if the Giants somehow lose three games in a row to the Padres (very unlikely), and they need to build momentum if they go in to a wild card game against the hottest team in baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals (very likely). This is the thought process behind the listed Brewers Dodgers odds.

Clayton Kershaw is the first pitcher whom the pressure falls on. Kershaw is used to this scenario, and once again has to prove he can deliver in important scenarios.

One thing that the three-time Cy Young winner has been great at this year is giving his team a chance to win. Kershaw has given up two or less earned runs in 15 of his 24 starts this year. It's rare that he gets really roughed up on the mound, and it's likely he keeps this game close until the fifth or sixth inning.

It helps that this Brewers offense hasn't exactly been intimidating of late. They've score more then four runs in only three of their last ten matchups. In their last matchup against a lefty, they managed only three earned runs off J.A. Happ, a pitcher with a 5.79 ERA. Against Rich Hill (3.86 ERA) and Jon Lester (4.62 ERA) they managed only two earned. All signs point to Kershaw producing a quality outing.

At the plate, the Dodgers have been red hot. They detonated on a Padres bullpen just two games ago by hitting five home runs in two innings two days ago, and tagged the Friars for eight runs Thursday. Keep this in the back of your mind when evaluating a Brewers Dodgers prediction.

Lauer has been good in his last three outings, but was picking on three weak offensive teams in the Cubs, the Indians, and the Mets. Against this Dodgers lineup where nearly every spot from 1-9 is taking quality at-bats, we should see Los Angeles eventually put up a crooked number against him.

Final Brewers-Dodgers Prediction & Pick

While the Dodgers have so much more to play for at the moment, these odds should still be much closer than they currently are. Kershaw is unlikely to pitch more than five or six innings, and it's equally as unlikely that he emerges unscathed against a Brewers lineup with some punch. This is likely to come down to two excellent bullpens, and both groups are lights out. This is likely to come down to a one or two run game, and I'll happily take the Brewers run-line here when it's so close to even money.

FINAL BREWERS-DODGERS PREDICTION & PICK: MILWAUKEE BREWERS +1.5 (-110)