The last time the Milwaukee Brewers reached the playoffs in 2011, Zack Greinke was an integral part of their rotation. The NL Central-topping Brewers have a golden opportunity to return to the postseason this year, and they’ll face playoff-caliber opposition tonight when Greinke and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers host his former team.
Greinke’s return to Milwaukee is just one of the great baseball matchups on tonight’s slate. View them all in our daily MLB Free Picks, and read on for this juicy battle of NL leaders.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
When: Friday, August 15, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Milwaukee Brewers (+145) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-160); total 7.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers can boast good series wins over the Dodgers and Giants recently, but both were set at home. On the road, it’s been a different story. They dropped two out of three at Tampa Bay and St. Louis, and could only muster a split of a four-game set against the Cubs. As a result, Milwaukee is just 7-6 in its last 13 games.
[sc:MLB240banner ]A big reason for the Brew Crew’s inconsistency has been their sputtering offense. Milwaukee scored six runs yesterday in a win over the Cubs after scoring just six in their previous four contests. Slugger Ryan Braun has been bothered by a sore right hand, and it’s evident in his .217 average in August. He was given the day-off yesterday and could make his return to the lineup tonight.
Rookie starter Jimmy Nelson will take to the mound for the Brewers. Nelson has been fairly solid in his first prolonged spell in the rotation. He’s gone six-plus innings and has given up just three runs or less in his last four starts. The under has also gone 4-0 in all four of those starts.
In his last start against the Dodgers on August 10, he put in six innings of two-run ball, but he was outdueled by the tremendous Clayton Kershaw. Another solid outing could see him get the win over Greinke, who is winless in both his starts against his former team.
Create a betting account now and prepare for the intense MLB pennant chase that’s slowly but surely heating up in the NL.
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
For some reason, the Dodgers can’t seem to solve the NL Central. After the All-Star Break, L.A. has played four series against the Cardinals, Pirates, Cubs and Brewers; in all four series, the Dodgers dropped two out of three games and lost the three out of the four series openers. Granted, only their series against the Cubs was at home.
The Dodgers, however, haven’t had any such trouble dealing with their non-NL Central opposition. They swept a three-game set against the Giants, took three out of four vs. L.A. and demolished the Braves, 6-1, in seven games.
That same Jekyll and Hyde form has also haunted tonight’s starter, Zack Greinke. The current trend for Greinke in his past eight starts has been to give up 3-4 earned runs in consecutive starts, followed by consecutive starts of 0-1 runs. In his previous two starts, he gave up three and four runs to his two previous teams, the Angels and Brewers, in decision losses.
However, part of the blame should also be levied on the Dodger offense, which scored just three runs total for Greinke in his last four starts. Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez each had three hits yesterday, and could tack on a few more hits against Milwaukee’s rookie pitcher.
Writer’s Prediction
Nelson is able to hold the Dodger lineup at bay, while the Brew Crew struggle to put up runs with an ailing Ryan Braun. Grab the total to go under 7.0 in tonight’s game.
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