Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (15-7) are coming off their first series defeat of the year — falling to the San Diego Padres in three of four games — yet they are still listed as solid -175 home favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for the opener of a three-game set versus the Cincinnati Reds (9-12) on Monday at Chavez Ravine (how the money line works).
The big question is, will the defending World Series champion Dodgers feel deflated against the Reds, or will they be extra motivated to bounce back when facing a struggling opponent?
Reds vs. Dodgers | OddsShark Matchup Report
Cincinnati is riding a seven-game losing streak into Los Angeles, and the team is just 2-7 on the road so far this season. The Reds were just swept in three games by the St. Louis Cardinals away from home, getting outscored 12-6 with the OVER on a 5-1-1 run during their skid. To make matters worse, they have also dropped six of the past seven meetings with the Dodgers, following a six-game series winning streak.
Those numbers should at least give Los Angeles some confidence heading into the opener, and the team will have unbeaten Julio Urias (3-0, 2.81 ERA) on the mound as a growing favorite. The Dodgers opened as -163 betting favorites at online betting sites with Urias opposing Tyler Mahle (1-1, 1.74 ERA) in the pitching matchup for Monday.
The series could get even more difficult for Cincinnati from there, as Los Angeles will send Walker Buehler (1-0, 2.16 ERA) and Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 2.56 ERA) to the hill on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Reds will counter with Jeff Hoffman (2-1, 2.66 ERA) opposite Buehler, and Sonny Gray (0-1, 7.88 ERA) in the finale. Gray pitched only 3.2 innings last time out on Friday at the Cardinals, giving up five runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
The Dodgers will obviously need to put their series loss to the Padres behind them in order to rebound, as they lost with both Buehler and Kershaw toeing the rubber in that one. The good news for them is that their bats finally got hot in the last two games, scoring 11 runs to help the OVER continue on a 3-0 run in their past three. The UNDER is 6-1-1 in their previous eight meetings with the Reds though, as the teams combined for seven runs or less six times.
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