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Dodgers left-hander and three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw has largely owned the rival Giants in his stellar career, and he’s on the mound Wednesday in San Francisco with the Dodgers favored on the MLB odds for the national telecast.

How to Bet Dodgers at Giants MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 9:45 PM ET
Where: Oracle Park
Probable pitchers (away/home): Clayton Kershaw/Johnny Cueto
TV: ESPN
Stream/gameday audio: ESPN+, https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Dodgers -230, Giants +210 (total 8.5)

Why Bet on LA Dodgers?

Since starting 2-2, the Dodgers have the best record in the majors. Only four players have a below-average OPS+. Max Muncy (99), Kiké Hernandez (91), Austin Barnes (83) and Joc Pederson (83). The only pitchers who have been below average this season are Ross Stripling (ERA+ of 80), Dennis Santana (82) and Alex Wood (53).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has some concern about this series – mostly air quality. The entire Bay Area has been impacted by hundreds of wildfires in Northern California, which has impacted San Francisco air quality. Depending on how winds blow and ultimately shift throughout the day, it influences where the smoke begins to settle and impacts the air quality.

“I know one of the days we’re going to try to stay off the field as much as possible but you’re still going to play a three-hour baseball game. We’re going to continue to move forward business as usual unless we hear otherwise,” Roberts said.

It’s Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 2.25) on the bump here. Kershaw limited the Mariners to one run in seven innings and struck out 11 to win last Thursday. The run came on a Kyle Seager homer in the fourth. Kershaw was otherwise fantastic for the second straight outing. He’s allowed two runs and five hits in 14 innings his last two times out. It was a vintage Kershaw performance, as the lefty fired 63 of 96 pitches for strikes en route to his second straight quality start.

Clearly healthy again, Kershaw has refined his game. Adding velocity as a 30-something hasn’t hurt. Kershaw’s fastball is sitting comfortably between 91 and 93 mph, two to three ticks faster than it was through each of the past two years. His slider and curveball look devastating again. Kershaw, who often struggled to break 90 mph in 2018 and 2019, is averaging 91.8 mph with his fastball this season, his highest since 2017, the last time he finished within the top three in Cy Young voting.

Kershaw did have a rare loss to the Giants on Aug. 8, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings. That’s easily his worst outing of 2020.

Why Bet on San Francisco?

The Giants this week placed outfielder Hunter Pence on waivers. Pence was designated for assignment over the weekend after batting just .096/.161/.250 with 15 strikeouts over 56 plate appearances in his return to San Francisco. Despite his undeniable leadership and the positive influence he had on young Giants players, the club simply needed more production out of his roster spot.

The Giants stink but if there’s on reason for fans to watch this team it was the recent callup of top prospect and catcher Joey Bart, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft. Bart, 23, spent most of the 2019 season in Class-A Advanced, hitting .265/.315/.479 (116 wRC+) before a 22-game stint in Double-A where he finished on a tear: .316/.368/.544 (163 wRC+). Bart went on to the Arizona Fall League and hit .333/.524/.767 with four homers in 42 plate appearances.

Given his defensive ability as well, and the fact that the Giants didn’t promote their top prospect to have him sit idly on the bench, it stands to reason he’ll be in the lineup most days from here on out.

It’s Kevin Gausman (1-1, 4.65) on the mound. Gausman struck out eight and allowed four runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings in Thursday’s win over the Angels. The Giants jumped on Angels pitching early and often and allowed Gausman to cruise to his first win of the season. While he did strike out eight — giving him 42 strikeouts in 31 innings of work this year — it wasn’t easy for the right-hander, with the Angels’ nine hits and four runs scored counting as season highs for Gausman.

Gausman made his most recent start against the Dodgers on Aug. 9, firing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Gausman allowed just three hits, and he didn’t issue a walk while striking out three. The right-hander deserved better, but after allowing a hit in the sixth, he was pulled despite throwing just 80 pitches. Giants reliever Tyler Rogers blew a 2-0 lead after giving up a three-run homer to A.J. Pollock.

Expert Prediction Dodgers 6, Giants 2