Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
A three-game winning streak has vaulted the Los Angeles Dodgers (85-49) into a first-place tie atop the National League West standings with the San Francisco Giants (85-49) as the two division rivals prepare to play a huge three-game series at Oracle Park starting on Friday night.
The Dodgers opened as -118 road favorites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for Friday night’s contest with David Price (4-2, 3.88 ERA) toeing the rubber (how sports betting works).
Dodgers vs. Giants | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Giants actually fell into second place briefly until they ended a four-game skid on Thursday with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers as -173 home favorites at sports betting sites. That losing streak tied their longest of the season, and now they are expected to send Anthony DeSclafani (11-6, 3.38 ERA) to the hill opposite Price to start their biggest series of the year. San Francisco’s other two starting pitchers for Saturday and Sunday are still yet to be announced, with the teams closing out the set with a nationally televised ESPN matchup.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles will send arguably its best pitchers to the mound not named Max Scherzer in the last two games of the series. Julio Urias (15-3, 3.17 ERA) will try to build an even stronger case for the NL Cy Young Award on Saturday, looking to extend his personal 11-game unbeaten streak that includes six wins and five no-decisions. Then on Sunday, Walker Buehler (13-2, 2.05 ERA) will attempt to do the same, suffering only one loss since June 24.
This will be the last matchup of the regular season between these two teams who are also tied for the best record in baseball overall. The Giants have won four of the past five meetings in the series, with the UNDER going 3-1-1. That includes victories against Price and Urias while Buehler picked up a win in an 8-0 rout on July 28. Before that, the Dodgers won nine of 13 meetings, with the OVER on a 5-2 run in the previous seven.
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