The Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Our MLB odds series has our Diamondbacks Dodgers prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Diamondbacks Dodgers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks scored an improbable win over the Dodgers on Friday night in the second game of this four-game season-opening weekend series. The win was improbable not because the Dodgers are a much better team than the Diamondbacks; the result was improbable because the Diamondbacks issued nine walks to patient Dodger hitters. The Dodgers worked counts as they always do. They got a lot of men on base as they normally do. However, the Dodgers simply could not drive runners in, and on several occasions, Los Angeles hitters smashed hot grounders or frozen-rope liners which were right at Arizona infielders. Very simply, the Dodgers got “BABIP'd,” referring to getting the short end of the stick on the Batting Average for Balls In Play. That kind of stuff will happen in individual baseball games. That's why it takes 162 games to determine playoff teams. Good teams will shrug off those days, while bad teams will allow those games to affect the mood of the clubhouse and the level of relaxation at the plate for the next day of games.
Here are the Diamondbacks-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Dodgers Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (+105)
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-126)
Over: 7.5 (-115)
Under: 7.5 (-105)
How To Watch Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
TV: Bally Sports Arizona / SportsNet LA / MLB Network regional coverage
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:05 p.m. ET/6:05 p.m. PT
*Watch Diamondbacks-Dodgers LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks' bullpen held the fort for most of Friday's game after starter Merrill Kelly left early. Arizona pitchers did issue a few walks, but when they forced the Dodgers to put the ball in play, they got good results. Arizona won despite scoring only two runs on Friday, which should give the D-Backs confidence that they can be aggressive at the plate in this game, knowing the pitching will be able to hold up. Remember that the Diamondbacks became a competitive, formidable team as the 2022 season progressed. While not ultimately successful, Arizona became a thorn in the side of a lot of opponents and showed signs of being able to grow and evolve. Signs of that continued evolution were in evidence on Friday against the Dodgers.
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Dodgers are a much better team than the Diamondbacks, a point we don't have to spend any time explaining. The real reason the Dodgers are a good bet to win this game and cover the run line is that you're not going to see many games in which the Dodgers draw nine walks and score only one run. That's a wild outlier and a one-game oddity of baseball. The fact that the Dodgers did draw nine walks shows that they're not chasing bad pitches. They are exhibiting the patience the organization expects of them. If they continue to show patience at the plate, they are bound to hit some holes and have some better BABIP luck. The Dodgers will not continue to leave tons of runners in scoring position.
Oh, and they have Clayton Kershaw pitching in Dodger Stadium.
Final Diamondbacks-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers will not strand tons of runners. They will find some holes and will hit some line drives into the gaps or corners. Take Los Angeles.
Final Diamondbacks-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5
Follow Us
Subscribe