Phillies and Dodgers Square Off in Series Finale
The Dodgers hit their way to a Game 1 win with the Phillies pitching their way to the Game 2 triumph. Now LA and Philadelphia battle in an all-important rubber match of the set.
The Philadelphia Phillies need a win Thursday to stay close to the Braves in the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers need a win to keep from falling any further behind the Padres in the NL West. Either way, the rubber game between the Phils and Dodgers at Citizen's Bank Park is important to both clubs.
Thursday's contest will mark the first time in the last five regular season head-to-head meetings that the Phils will be the MLB betting underdog. Most offshore shops opened Philadelphia plus 115 with the Dodgers minus 125 and higher. The total started at 8½ with several books favoring the 'under.'
Los Angeles busted out the lumber in the series opener on Tuesday, skating out to a seven-zip lead before ultimately taking a 15-9 win as a small pup. Game 2 saw a pair of ex-Astros team up to help the Phils even the series with a 2-0 win. Roy Oswalt tossed seven shutout frames and Brad Lidge finished the game for Philadelphia who was a 130 betting favorite.
Clayton Kershaw (13-10, 3.19) will be out to snap a personal and team two-game losing streak with him on the hill. The left-hander gave up all six runs in a 6-3 home loss to the Nats last Friday night with LA heavy 215 chalk, and this will be his first appearance in Philly since pitching out of the pen in the Phillies' clinching win in Game 5 of last year's NLCS.
The Philadelphia lineup has been pretty hard on Kershaw, with the Dodgers dropping all three of his starts against the Phillies in 2009 (including Game 1 of the NLCS). Combine all of his outings against the Phils in 2009 and Kershaw worked 17 innings allowing 15 earnies with Los Angeles 0-4 in those contests.
Joe Torre's troops will be facing Philadelphia right-hander Joe Blanton (8-10, 5.65) who would probably be in the bullpen right now if 93-year-old Jamie Moyer wasn't out of action. Blanton, however, has some decent-recent numbers against the Dodgers. He no-decisioned in a 3-2 LA win out at Chavez Ravine in June of the '09 regular season, tossing six and giving up just a solo shot by Andre Ethier for the only run allowed.
Blanton also got the ND in Game 4 of last year's NLCS, a game the Phils eventually won 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Blanton gave up three earned, four total, in six innings again. The game closed with the Phils very slight MLB odds favorites.
Mrs. Tichenor's son Todd will be your plate umpire for the series finale. In just his second full season of calling big league games, Tichenor brings some pretty strong baseball betting trends into this contest. Home teams are a very solid 18-5 (11.1 units) in games he's called, including 5-1 when a 'dog. The 'over' is also 14-7-2 overall, with a 10-4-1 edge when set at 8½ or higher.
Fans heading to the evening game are encouraged to bring along a poncho or umbrella with a 50 percent chance of went stuff in the forecasts. Thermometers should read in the upper-70s at first pitch with an east wind around 10 mph (1B across to 3B).
Philadelphia heads off after this game to begin a road trip in New York against the Mets on Friday. The Dodgers continue their road trip with a weekender in Atlanta.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
The Dodgers hit their way to a Game 1 win with the Phillies pitching their way to the Game 2 triumph. Now LA and Philadelphia battle in an all-important rubber match of the set.
The Philadelphia Phillies need a win Thursday to stay close to the Braves in the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers need a win to keep from falling any further behind the Padres in the NL West. Either way, the rubber game between the Phils and Dodgers at Citizen's Bank Park is important to both clubs.
Thursday's contest will mark the first time in the last five regular season head-to-head meetings that the Phils will be the MLB betting underdog. Most offshore shops opened Philadelphia plus 115 with the Dodgers minus 125 and higher. The total started at 8½ with several books favoring the 'under.'
Los Angeles busted out the lumber in the series opener on Tuesday, skating out to a seven-zip lead before ultimately taking a 15-9 win as a small pup. Game 2 saw a pair of ex-Astros team up to help the Phils even the series with a 2-0 win. Roy Oswalt tossed seven shutout frames and Brad Lidge finished the game for Philadelphia who was a 130 betting favorite.
Clayton Kershaw (13-10, 3.19) will be out to snap a personal and team two-game losing streak with him on the hill. The left-hander gave up all six runs in a 6-3 home loss to the Nats last Friday night with LA heavy 215 chalk, and this will be his first appearance in Philly since pitching out of the pen in the Phillies' clinching win in Game 5 of last year's NLCS.
The Philadelphia lineup has been pretty hard on Kershaw, with the Dodgers dropping all three of his starts against the Phillies in 2009 (including Game 1 of the NLCS). Combine all of his outings against the Phils in 2009 and Kershaw worked 17 innings allowing 15 earnies with Los Angeles 0-4 in those contests.
Joe Torre's troops will be facing Philadelphia right-hander Joe Blanton (8-10, 5.65) who would probably be in the bullpen right now if 93-year-old Jamie Moyer wasn't out of action. Blanton, however, has some decent-recent numbers against the Dodgers. He no-decisioned in a 3-2 LA win out at Chavez Ravine in June of the '09 regular season, tossing six and giving up just a solo shot by Andre Ethier for the only run allowed.
Blanton also got the ND in Game 4 of last year's NLCS, a game the Phils eventually won 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. Blanton gave up three earned, four total, in six innings again. The game closed with the Phils very slight MLB odds favorites.
Mrs. Tichenor's son Todd will be your plate umpire for the series finale. In just his second full season of calling big league games, Tichenor brings some pretty strong baseball betting trends into this contest. Home teams are a very solid 18-5 (11.1 units) in games he's called, including 5-1 when a 'dog. The 'over' is also 14-7-2 overall, with a 10-4-1 edge when set at 8½ or higher.
Fans heading to the evening game are encouraged to bring along a poncho or umbrella with a 50 percent chance of went stuff in the forecasts. Thermometers should read in the upper-70s at first pitch with an east wind around 10 mph (1B across to 3B).
Philadelphia heads off after this game to begin a road trip in New York against the Mets on Friday. The Dodgers continue their road trip with a weekender in Atlanta.
NOTE: W-L records displayed for starting pitchers are team records in games the pitchers start.
