The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants split four games at Dodger Stadium to open this very unusual season and they will return there Friday night to open a three-game set with L.A. a heavy favorite on the MLB betting lines.
How to Bet Giants at Dodgers MLB Odds & TV Info- When: Friday, 9:40 PM ET
- Where: Dodger Stadium
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jeff Samardzija/Julio Urias
- TV: MLB Network
- Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
- Opening MLB Lines: Dodgers -240, Giants +215 (total 9)
The Giants have settled on a closer and it’s Trevor Gott, who picked up his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday against the Rockies. Gott didn’t have outstanding control but he was able to work around a walk and finish the job despite throwing just 9-of-18 pitches for strikes. It was the third save of the season for the 27-year-old, and he’s allowed just a run in his four appearances.
Second baseman Yolmer Sanchez (back) could begin participating in simulated games this weekend. Sanchez was cleared to resume baseball activities last week and is nearing a return to the Giants’ active roster. First baseman Brandon Belt has 231 career doubles and is one double away from tying Rich Aurilia for ninth overall on the Giants’ list since the team moved to San Francisco.
It’s Jeff Samardzija (0-1, 9.31) on the mound. He didn’t face the Dodgers in the opening series. Samardzija allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings but was fortunate to not factor into the decision on Sunday against the Rangers. Samardzija gave up two runs in the second on a two-run double to Scott Heineman and a two-run homer to Shin-Soo Choo, with an RBI single by Jeff Math in between.
“Just a bad pitch selection, my [bad] there to Choo,” Samardzija said. “We’ve seen him going the other way, but that was more so earlier in the count. In a hitter’s count, we have to think he’s looking to get ahead of one there. Maybe something away would have been easier, maybe would have gotten a cheap out.”
Samardzija has now allowed 10 runs over 9 2/3 innings in his first two starts of 2020, though he revealed that he’s been dealing with a blister on his pitching hand that prevented him from throwing his splitter on Sunday. The absence of his splitter helps explain why Samardzija has been struggling to miss bats. He’s struck out only two of the 42 batters he’s faced this season.
Why Bet on LA Dodgers?The Dodgers have an advantage here in that the Giants had to play Thursday but L.A. was off so the Dodgers bullpen will be fresh. L.A. took two of three at the Padres to open this week, clinching the series with a 7-6 win Wednesday.
Joc Pederson homered twice and drove in five runs – he also drew a walk and scored three runs. Pederson launched a two-run homer off of Garrett Richards, and he crushed a three-run homer off of rookie right-hander Luis Patiño to make it 7-2 in the sixth. Those are the first two homers of the season for the 28-year-old, and he’s now slashing .258/.361/.548 over the first 13 games of the season.
Fellow outfielder Mookie Betts (finger) remained out of the Dodgers’ lineup Wednesday. Manager Dave Roberts had expressed optimism previously that Betts would be ready to return Wednesday, but Betts still isn’t cleared to swing a bat. In fact, Roberts is now saying he’s not sure Betts will be able to play on Friday.
Closer Kenley Jansen acknowledged Wednesday that he is still not back at full strength following a bout with COVID-19. Jansen has displayed diminished velocity this season and ran into some trouble Wednesday against the Padres, though he did manage to pick up the save and is now 4-for-4 in save opportunities. He allowed two hits and a walk, and the right-hander yielded an RBI single to Tommy Pham. If not for a terrific throw from Chris Taylor to home plate on what ended up as a game-winning double play, Jansen might have lost.
It’s young lefty Julio Urias (1-0, 2.45) here. Urias yielded two runs on five hits over six innings on Saturday in a win over the Diamondbacks. He struggled in the opening frame, but he managed to settle down, striking out a pair of batters to escape with just a single run crossing the plate. He finished with five strikeouts and only handed out one free pass in this one. The 23-year-old left-hander has allowed three runs on 10 hits with an 8:4 K:BB ratio over 11 innings.
Urias faced the Giants in the opening series and held them to one run and tallied three strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision. Urias left the game at 78 pitches with the scored tied 1-1. San Francisco would eventually pull out a 3-1 victory.
Game Trends- Giants are 2-6 in the last 8 meetings.
- Under is 4-1-1 in the last 6 meetings in Los Angeles.
