Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
After taking two of three games from the lowly Miami Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers (81-42) will finally get some real competition this weekend as they face the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves (72-51) for a three-game series at SunTrust Park.
The Braves are viewed as the top threat for the Dodgers as they seek a third straight pennant this year, and the home team is listed as a slight -117 home favorite (bet $117 to win $100) on the MLB odds for the opener on Friday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Dodgers at Braves | OddsShark MatchupReport
Los Angeles is a -103 underdog, breaking a 24-game streak in which the two-time defending NL champions had been favored, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The Dodgers surprisingly fell 13-7 to the Marlins on Thursday as consensus -260 road favorites at sports betting sites, but they still have won nine of their last 11 games and 12 of 15 to increase their massive lead in the NL West to 19.5 games.
Atlanta trails Los Angeles by nine games for the best record and top seed in the NL. The Braves have also struggled mightily against the Dodgers in recent meetings, going 4-15 in the last 19 games between the teams and 9-21 over the past 30.
Los Angeles swept a three-game set at Dodger Stadium from May 6-8 earlier this season, outscoring Atlanta by a 23-7 margin. The previous four wins for the Dodgers in this series have all been decided by two runs or more as well, which makes the runline attractive.
However, the Braves would appear to have the better starting pitcher on the mound to open the series in 22-year-old righty Mike Soroka (10-2, 2.32 ERA). While Soroka is winless in his last four starts, he has allowed more than one run and walked more than one batter only once during that stretch. But he is only 4-2 with a 4.08 ERA at home.
Countering for Los Angeles will be Kenta Maeda (8-8, 4.12 ERA), who has been the weak link in the rotation of late outside of a great effort last time out. Maeda pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last Saturday, although before that he had surrendered 14 runs in just 11 innings over his previous three.
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