Dodgers Favored to Take 2nd Consecutive Against Underdog Giants

Who: Los Angeles Dodgers v. San Francisco Giants

When: Wednesday September 13th, 2017 10:00PM EST

Where: AT&T Park—San Francisco, California

Coming into the Dodgers’ Tuesday night matchup with the Giants—the 2nd of a 3-game series—there were a lot of concerns regarding their grit and determination. After all, the side that many folks had considered to be the best in baseball was entering that game on the back of an 11-game losing streak. An 11-game losing streak is bad for even the worst teams in MLB, but the fact that the Dodgers, who are edging in on 100 total wins, were on that streak was very concerning.

When the dust settled at the conclusion of last night’s game, it wasn’t as though the Dodgers won easily. The final score was 8-6 and a late run by the Giants almost sunk the Dodgers for a 12th straight game. Now that they have that ever-elusive win under their belt, it is high time the Dodgers buckle down and enter the post-season with some momentum. Of course, they have the rubber match of their 3-game series to get over with first, and the Giants are clearly not about to lie down and let LA walk all over them.

As we enter the final stretch of the season, the Dodgers’ once insurmountable lead in the NL West seems much more fragile. Though it is still a solid lead, the team from LA is a mere 10 games ahead of the Diamondbacks, a team that has been building momentum for the past month or more and seems to be a shoe-in for the playoffs. What we are really looking at tonight is whether the Dodgers have actually regained their form, or if last night’s victory was a single bright spot on the back of 2 weeks’ worth of poor results.

Game Overview and Analysis

While last night saw the Los Angeles Dodgers’ best pitcher, Clayton Kerrshaw, take the mound and pitch 6 solid innings, tonight will bring about a different storyline. Starting for the Dodgers (-220) will be Yu Darvish (8-12 4.25 ERA). Darvish, who is historically a very good pitcher, has been having a rough go of things this year. Putting Darvish’s 2017 campaign perfectly into perspective is his last 3 starts, each of which have been losses. Not only have they been losses, but each of those starts saw him perform rather poorly for a starting pitcher. In those 3 games, Darvish gave up a total of 13 runs, averaging more than 4 earned runs per outing.

What the Dodgers will be looking for from Darvish tonight is the same that they will be look for from themselves; consistency. The Dodgers are trying to figure out if Yu can be relied upon come playoff time, and I feel as though he is running out of opportunities to prove his worth. With any luck, the Dodgers’ bats will perform tonight exactly how they did last night. My feeling is that if the Dodger can score like they did on Tuesday, they should have no issues taking care of the Giants and winning the series.

With regard to the Giants (+190), they will also be starting a struggling pitcher, Matt Moore (5-13 5.31 ERA). Like most Giants’ pitchers, Moore has seen better years. Unlike his opposite number, Moore will be coming off of a win in his last start. Though he gave up 2 earned, Moore made it through 6 and 2 thirds innings and gave his team a chance to win, which is really all a starting pitcher is asked to do.

As for the Giants’ offense, they will need to do a lot if they want to win the game. Though Darvish is not the best pitcher on the Dodgers, he should be able to sit the Giants down as quickly as they approach the plate. All things considered, I am not anticipating that the Giants will have anything that closely resembles a positive night on the offensive side of the ball.

Betting Prediction

Bovada lists the Dodgers (-220) as heavy favorites on the moneyline, and I would have to agree with that. Though they have won just 1 of their last 12 games, the fact of the matter is that the Dodgers are one of the best outfits in baseball. There is not a crazy amount of value in a moneyline bet on the Dodgers, but I think it is the right bet to make.

As for the point spread, the Dodgers are -1.5 favorites (-125). For a second night in a row, I think that if the Dodgers win they will also cover this spread. Last night’s victory came by a slim margin, but I think the Dodgers’ offense might really open things up.

Finally, there is the over/under that is listed by Bovada at 7.5 runs (-120/EVEN). For a second night in a row, I think the over (-120) is the best bet you can make.