The San Francisco Giants have made the National League West’s race to the top a little bit more intriguing as they inch closer to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division’s leadership.
The Dodgers have a perfect opportunity to keep San Francisco at bay while increasing their lead. Conversely, the Giants can retake the no. 1 seat in the division if they can sweep Los Angeles in this series. Adding excitement to the game tonight is the matchup of “Giants-killer” Hyun-jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner, who is aiming to win his 18th of the season.
For more baseball reading, you can read our list of five best baseball games to bet on today here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants Betting Preview
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco
When: Friday, September 12, 10:15 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers (+118) at San Francisco Giants (-128); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
[sc:MLB240banner ]It’s been a while since Los Angeles met with the Giants, whom the Dodgers swept in a three-game series late July to cop first place in the NL West. The Dodgers have stayed on top since, but their control in the division is now in danger, leading San Francisco by only two games.
With Hyun-jin Ryu (14-6, 3.16 ERA) set to start later, however, there’s no reason for the Dodgers to push the panic button just yet.
Ryu is 5-1 in his last eight starts to go along with a 2.24 ERA during that stretch. What’s more impressive, though, is the Dodgers’ undefeated streak of four games at AT&T Park when the Korean hurler is on the mound, including their 6-3 win on July 27 with Ryu posting seven strikeouts and allowing three earned runs in six innings.
The Dodgers’ offense, which scored 23 runs over their last four games, appears to be capable of putting enough runs on the board to give Ryu enough breathing room if ever he struggles to find his form tonight.
Among the reliable hitters for the Dodgers recently is Matt Kemp. The outfielder is on a 16-game hitting streak, batting .333 along the way. Kemp, however, isn’t the hottest hitter in the Dodgers’ lineup. That would be Carl Crawford, who made mincemeat of the San Diego Padres in the previous three-game series, going 9-for-12 (.750) with five RBIs and a homer.
Betting on the San Francisco Giants
As productive as Los Angeles has been on offense lately, the Giants managed to be even more prolific at the plate than their rivals. The Giants have produced 53 runs on the strength of a majors-best .317 batting average thus far this month.
The Giants are now 5-1 in their last six games, and are looking to stitch their fourth straight win later, as they start Madison Bumgarner (17-9, 3.02 ERA).
The Giants’ stout offense was all out in their recent three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, outscoring the NL West’s bottom feeders, 21-3. While a 21-run total in three games is something else, limiting the D’backs to just three runs is nothing to scoff at either. The team’s pitching rotation is definitely clamping down to work big time, with its starters posting a 1.00 ERA over the Giants’ last 10 home games.
Going back to San Francisco’s offense, Buster Posey and Angel Pagan have been doing most of the heavy lifting in the lineup. Posey is batting .391 (9-for-23) in the last six games, while Pagan is .360 (9-for-25). Furthermore, the duo has a combined career average of .467 (14-for-30) against Ryu.
Writer’s Prediction
The Giants win as -128 home faves. Create a betting account now, while odds are still available.
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