It is a battle for first place in the National League West when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants open a three-game series starting on Friday. Los Angeles is tied with San Francisco in the standings. They are coming off a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, sweeping their three-game series.
The Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. The Giants are 8-7 against Los Angeles this season. That includes a 5-0 victory on July 29 in Los Angeles. Let’s see the MLB odds.
Friday, September 03, 2021 – 09:45 PM EDT at Oracle Park
The Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of Atlanta on Wednesday. This was a great series, as Los Angeles won two games by a single run and one game by two runs. The pitching staff was outstanding, allowing eight total runs. Los Angeles is third in runs per game (5.08) and is first in runs allowed per contest (3.49). They are also first in run differential at 1.59. The Dodgers are hitting very well this season, 11th in team batting average (.242) and fourth in homeruns per game (1.40).
The Dodgers will start left-hander David Price. Price is 4-2 with a 3.98 ERA in 33 appearances, 11 of which have been starts. Price posted a 4.37 ERA in six appearances in August. Price is not one to give L.A. a lot of innings, as he went 5.1 innings pitched in one of his four starts in August. Max Muncy reached the 30-homerun plateau. He is hitting .261 with 70 RBI. Justin Turner is hitting .281 with 71 RBI. The Dodgers have four players with at least 65 RBI.
The Giants scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to snap a 1-1 tie in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. That snapped a four-game losing streak for the Giants. Thairo Estrada hit a three-run homer in the frame to seal the victory. San Francisco is ninth in runs per game (4.75) and third in runs allowed per game (3.71). They are fifth in run differential at +1.04. The Giants are ninth in team batting average (.244) and first in homeruns per game (1.50). With such a solid offense, S.F. has proven themselves to be a thorn for the Dodgers this season.
The Giants have not named their starter for this contest. San Francisco has four starters on the DL, including Anthony DeSclafani, who is listed as probable for this start after being out with an undisclosed injury. Mike Yastrzemski leads the team with 21 homers. He is hitting .220 with 52 RBI. The Giants do not have one big star in their lineup, as nine players have between 10 and 21 homers. The Giants are hitting .242 against lefties, averaging 4.93 runs per nine innings.
The Dodgers have rallied to erase the Giants lead and now find themselves tied for the top mark in the NL West. San Francisco is struggling and it would seem to make sense to go with the Dodgers in this game. However, one thing you can be sure of is that the Giants will be at their best when they take on L.A. There is a lot of hatred there and that helps to spur the Giants, no matter how they have been performing. They have an outstanding bullpen, so if DeSclafani is not at his best, they can keep San Francisco for my MLB pick in the contest to allow them time to rally.
MLB Pick : Giants ML (+115) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.