Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (62-42) failed in their attempt to overtake the San Francisco Giants on the road earlier this week, as the National League West leaders increased their division lead to three games. Fortunately for the Dodgers, their quest for a ninth straight division title will take them to the worst team in the NL West to finish up their six-game road trip, as the Arizona Diamondbacks (32-71) will start a seven-game homestand as big underdogs on Friday.
Los Angeles opened as a -170 road favorite on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for the first of three games in this series at Arizona, with Tony Gonsolin (2-1, 2.38 ERA) going to the hill opposite Zac Gallen (1-5, 4.80 ERA) (how the moneyline works).
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks | OddsShark Matchup Report
Gonsolin bounced back from his first loss of the season with his second victory last Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. The Diamondbacks have lost the past eight times Gallen has gone to the mound, with the 25-year-old right-hander last earning a win back on April 25 at the Atlanta Braves.
On Saturday, Josiah Gray (0-0, 6.75 ERA) presumably will be replaced if the Dodgers complete their trade with the Washington Nationals, and Merrill Kelly (7-7, 4.39 ERA) starts for the Diamondbacks before a starter to be determined wraps up the series Sunday for the visitors against the home team’s Caleb Smith (3-7, 4.61 ERA). Los Angeles picked up Danny Duffy (4-3, 2.51 ERA) from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday before the trade deadline, but he is currently on the injured list with a strained elbow.
The defending World Series champs were also reportedly finalizing a deal to acquire Max Scherzer (8-4, 2.76 ERA) of the Nationals as of Friday morning; Scherzer pitched on Thursday night.
Arizona has really struggled in this series recently, dropping nine of the past 10 meetings overall between the two teams. The Diamondbacks have lost seven of the last eight games versus the Dodgers at home as well, including a three-game sweep between June 18 and 20 of this year. The OVER is 4-1 in the past five meetings at sports betting sites.
Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily MLB picks for bettors
