Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (33-23) meet the Atlanta Braves (26-28) for the first time since rallying back to win last year’s National League Championship Series, starting on Friday when the teams open a three-game series at Truist Park. The Dodgers fought back from a 3-1 deficit back then en route to winning the NLCS along with their first World Series title since 1988, and they opened as -118 road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for the first of three games against the Braves (how the moneyline works).
Los Angeles is coming off a 14-3 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals as -225 home favorites on Wednesday to take that three-game series with two wins while Atlanta earned a split of a four-game set versus the Washington Nationals with a 5-1 victory as -134 home chalk in the finale on Thursday. The UNDER went 3-1 in that series between the Braves and Nationals.
Dodgers vs. Braves | OddsShark Matchup Report
Atlanta had lost four of five prior to the win and will send Ian Anderson (4-2, 3.27 ERA) to the mound in the opener, and he last faced this opponent in Game 7 of the NLCS. Anderson gave up two runs and five hits in three innings against the Dodgers in that matchup last October 18, which resulted in a 4-3 loss.
He will be opposed by Los Angeles lefty Julio Urias (7-2, 3.61 ERA), who got rocked in his last start at the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, surrendering seven runs – six earned – and 11 hits in five innings of a 11-6 loss with two walks and five strikeouts.
Much like most of the other series for the Dodgers so far this season, the starting pitching matchups favor them on Saturday and Sunday as well. Clayton Kershaw (7-4, 3.33 ERA) will toe the rubber in the next game opposite Charlie Morton (4-2, 4.26 ERA) of the Braves while Trevor Bauer (6-3, 2.24 ERA) will get the ball in the finale versus Max Fried (2-3, 5.35 ERA). Like Anderson, Fried pitched against Los Angeles last postseason and lost Game 6 after allowing three runs.
Despite sitting two games under the .500 mark, Atlanta still resides in second place in the NL East, 3.5 games behind the division-leading New York Mets. The Dodgers are two games back of the lead in the NL West but have won four of the past five meetings with the Braves following a four-game series losing streak. The UNDER has also cashed in the last two games between them at sports betting sites after a 4-0 OVER run in the previous four.
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