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The Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants. Check out our MLB odds series for our Dodgers Giants prediction and pick.
Julio Urias goes to the mound for the Dodgers, while Carlos Rodon takes the bump for the Giants.
Julio Urias has a 2.78 ERA. His ERA would be much lower without two starts, an eight-run disaster against the Phillies on May 14 and a two-inning start on April 10 against the Rockies. He has been very consistent for the Dodgers, but he has had occasional problems with home runs. He is excellent at pitching out of trouble when runners are on base, but the gopher ball — four homers allowed in that nightmare on May 14, two homers in a loss to the Pirates on May 31 — jumps up and bites him at times. He is generally very strong, but he does have an Achilles Heel which is occasionally exposed.
Carlos Rodon had a 1.80 ERA through his first six starts of the season. He was pitching like an ace and giving the Giants the high-end arm they needed to keep pace with the Dodgers and Padres in the cutthroat National League West. In his last five starts, however, Rodon’s ERA has nearly doubled, to 3.51. The big difference between the first six starts and the last five, beyond runs allowed, is home runs given up. Rodon didn’t give up any homers in his first six starts. He has allowed four in his last five starts. Rodon has also given up 32 hits in his last five starts, an average of just over six per start. In his first six starts, Rodon allowed 20 hits, under 3.5 hits per start.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Dodgers-Giants MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Giants Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+132)
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-160)
Over: 8 (-106)
Under: 8 (-114)
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Why The Dodgers Could Cover the Spread
The Dodgers are highly unlikely to be swept three straight games by a Giants team which is not nearly as good or consistent as last year’s amazing group. The Giants have been plagued by injuries, but they also have very inconsistent hitting, as shown when they lost a home series to the Colorado Rockies immediately preceding this weekend series against the Dodgers. Julio Urias is a very reliable starting pitcher. He should be able to give Los Angeles six or seven strong innings in this game. Also, the Dodgers got 13 hits on Saturday, just not any big ones. They left 14 men on base and left the bases loaded multiple times. The laws of averages would tell you the Dodgers will not go through that kind of game two straight days. They should score five or more runs in this one.
Why The Giants Could Cover the Spread
After struggling against the Rockies last week, the Giants rallied and responded. They beat the Dodgers in the first two games of this series. This is the version of the Giants many expected to see this year. With Carlos Rodon on the mound, San Francisco should feel great about its chances of sweeping the Dodgers back to Los Angeles. The Giants are treating this like a postseason series. Saturday’s tense 3-2 win felt like a September game. This team is locked in and ready to bring out the brooms against its chief rival.
Final Dodgers-Giants Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers getting swept is a very unlikely outcome. Then again, the Dodgers have already been swept by the Pirates this year. This is not an easy pick, but Julio Urias gives Los Angeles the pitching stability needed to win this game.
Final Dodgers-Giants Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5