Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (60-32) ended the first half of the 2019 season on a three-game losing streak, dropping three of four to the San Diego Padres before the MLB All-Star break.
But the Dodgers should be very motivated to start the second half, as they visit the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox for the first of three games on Friday in a near pick’em matchup on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The last time Los Angeles played at Fenway Park, the Red Sox beat the Dodgers 4-2 in Game 2 of the 2018 World Series to take a 2-0 lead en route to a championship. Since then, Boston has struggled to stay in postseason contention this year as the third-place team in the American League East while Los Angeles has the best record in baseball and looks to get back to the World Series for the third season in a row.
Dodgers at Red Sox | OddsShark Matchup Report
Starting off this series on the mound for the Dodgers will be Kenta Maeda (7-5, 3.76 ERA), who was the only one of their top four starting pitchers not to participate in the MLB All-Star Game. Maeda was not in terrible form leading up to the All-Star break, allowing just two runs in three of his last four starts but failing to earn a victory.
The Red Sox will counter with Eduardo Rodriguez (9-4, 4.65 ERA) and try to extend their winning streak to five games. Rodriguez is unbeaten in his past five outings, going 3-0 and giving up two runs or less three times during that stretch.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan made three appearances versus Los Angeles in the World Series, including a start in Game 4 that resulted in a 9-6 victory despite him surrendering four runs.
On Saturday, Los Angeles is scheduled to send Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79) to the hill opposite Boston’s Chris Sale (3-8, 4.04 ERA). Then Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-2, 1.73 ERA) gets the call for the Dodgers against David Price (7-2, 3.24 ERA) and the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball.
Dating back to 2004, Boston has won 11 of 15 meetings with Los Angeles, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The UNDER has also cashed in eight of the previous 13 games between the teams, including three of the last four games in the World Series.
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