MLB Odds: Giants and Dodgers Adding Heat to Their Rivalry
Tempers flared at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday night when the Giants rallied to hand the Dodgers their sixth-straight loss. Will the Rivalry boil over in the series finale?
As far as pitching matchups go in baseball, Wednesday's Barry Zito, Chad Billingsley meeting in Los Angeles is a pretty good one. Then again, it's never going to get the hype like the Giants, Dodgers had going into their Tuesday contest.
Tuesday's game started with Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum battling Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw battle. LA jumped on Lincecum early to build a 5-1 lead, but couldn't hold on as San Fran rallied with three in the sixth and three more in the ninth for a 7-5 win as the slight underdog.
The game featured three ejections, including Kershaw and Dodgers manager Joe Torre, and sent Los Angeles down for a sixth consecutive game. The Dodgers still lead the season series 5-3, but they have now fallen to fourth in the NL West.
The series opener on Monday was your basic pick 'em. San Francisco built a four-zip lead by the fourth inning and then coasted to a 5-2 win that stopped a four-game win streak in the season series for the Dodgers.
The third and final game of the series between the two old rivals opened with the Dodgers 130-135 baseball betting favorites. TheGreek.com put the total at 7½, charging a little more for the 'under.'
Wednesday's finale is a rematch of the same pitching matchup that took place in San Francisco on June 28. Both Billingsley and Zito pitched well, each lasting six innings and allowing two runs, but picked up no-decisions. Casey Blake's two-run blast in the eighth decided things in Los Angeles' favor, 4-2. Zito and the Giants closed as minus 110 chalk in that one.
Zito (12-6, 3.51) has two no-decisions to show for fine efforts against the LA order this season. San Francisco dropped both games (June 28 and April 18) despite the southpaw working 13 1/3 innings and allowing just three earned.
The Giants have won his last three starts, however, including a 1-0 home tilt against the Mets last Friday. Zito matched a season-high 10 strikeouts in the win as a 110 favorite at AT&T Park.
Hit hard in St. Louis his last time out, Billingsley (10-7, 4.61) has battled with inconsistency all season. Still, the Dodgers have found a way to win eight of his last 11 starts that wrap around his two-week DL stint in June due to a groin injury. His ERA over the 67 2/3 innings during the 8-3 stretch is 4.38.
The Dodgers have split his eight home starts this campaign, 4-4, with Billingsley sporting a very un-Chavez Ravine 5.44 ERA.
Veteran Tim McClelland is in rotation for plate duty on Wednesday. The 30-year veteran has been a cash machine for bettors blindly wagering home teams when he's calling the balls and strikes. McClelland's first 20 plate assignments have gone to the home team 17 times.
One thing to watch tonight with McClelland is how tolerant he is with inside pitches and any bench jockeying after last night's ruckus.
The weather looks great for the contest with clear skies and a first-pitch temp in the low-70s. A light SSW breeze out to right-center is on tap.
Following Wednesday's series finale, the Dodgers remain at home and begin a four-game series with the New York Mets on Thursday. Game 1 should be an All-Japanese mound battle with Hisanori Takashi (5-5, 4.69) slated for the Mets against LA's Hiroki Kuroda (10-8, 3.74). The Giants move on to Arizona for four against the Diamondbacks beginning with a Matt Cain (8-11, 3.30), Rodrigo Lopez (8-11, 4.62) matchup on Thursday.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season.
Tempers flared at Chavez Ravine on Tuesday night when the Giants rallied to hand the Dodgers their sixth-straight loss. Will the Rivalry boil over in the series finale?
As far as pitching matchups go in baseball, Wednesday's Barry Zito, Chad Billingsley meeting in Los Angeles is a pretty good one. Then again, it's never going to get the hype like the Giants, Dodgers had going into their Tuesday contest.
Tuesday's game started with Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum battling Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw battle. LA jumped on Lincecum early to build a 5-1 lead, but couldn't hold on as San Fran rallied with three in the sixth and three more in the ninth for a 7-5 win as the slight underdog.
The game featured three ejections, including Kershaw and Dodgers manager Joe Torre, and sent Los Angeles down for a sixth consecutive game. The Dodgers still lead the season series 5-3, but they have now fallen to fourth in the NL West.
The series opener on Monday was your basic pick 'em. San Francisco built a four-zip lead by the fourth inning and then coasted to a 5-2 win that stopped a four-game win streak in the season series for the Dodgers.
The third and final game of the series between the two old rivals opened with the Dodgers 130-135 baseball betting favorites. TheGreek.com put the total at 7½, charging a little more for the 'under.'
Wednesday's finale is a rematch of the same pitching matchup that took place in San Francisco on June 28. Both Billingsley and Zito pitched well, each lasting six innings and allowing two runs, but picked up no-decisions. Casey Blake's two-run blast in the eighth decided things in Los Angeles' favor, 4-2. Zito and the Giants closed as minus 110 chalk in that one.
Zito (12-6, 3.51) has two no-decisions to show for fine efforts against the LA order this season. San Francisco dropped both games (June 28 and April 18) despite the southpaw working 13 1/3 innings and allowing just three earned.
The Giants have won his last three starts, however, including a 1-0 home tilt against the Mets last Friday. Zito matched a season-high 10 strikeouts in the win as a 110 favorite at AT&T Park.
Hit hard in St. Louis his last time out, Billingsley (10-7, 4.61) has battled with inconsistency all season. Still, the Dodgers have found a way to win eight of his last 11 starts that wrap around his two-week DL stint in June due to a groin injury. His ERA over the 67 2/3 innings during the 8-3 stretch is 4.38.
The Dodgers have split his eight home starts this campaign, 4-4, with Billingsley sporting a very un-Chavez Ravine 5.44 ERA.
Veteran Tim McClelland is in rotation for plate duty on Wednesday. The 30-year veteran has been a cash machine for bettors blindly wagering home teams when he's calling the balls and strikes. McClelland's first 20 plate assignments have gone to the home team 17 times.
One thing to watch tonight with McClelland is how tolerant he is with inside pitches and any bench jockeying after last night's ruckus.
The weather looks great for the contest with clear skies and a first-pitch temp in the low-70s. A light SSW breeze out to right-center is on tap.
Following Wednesday's series finale, the Dodgers remain at home and begin a four-game series with the New York Mets on Thursday. Game 1 should be an All-Japanese mound battle with Hisanori Takashi (5-5, 4.69) slated for the Mets against LA's Hiroki Kuroda (10-8, 3.74). The Giants move on to Arizona for four against the Diamondbacks beginning with a Matt Cain (8-11, 3.30), Rodrigo Lopez (8-11, 4.62) matchup on Thursday.
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season.
