Giants vs. Dodgers NLDS Game 3 Picks and Odds Analysis

The defending World Series champs got a split in San Francisco and will return to Los Angeles for Game 3 where they hope to take command of this best-of-seven series. Let’s watch these two National League powerhouses go toe-to-toe while we keep cashing our MLB picks!

San Fransisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Monday, October 11, 2021 - 09:37 PM EDT at Dodger Stadium

The Giants will try to rebound after taking a 1-0 series lead after Game 1 only to get pounded in the second game, 9-2, and allowing the Dodgers to bring the series home at one apiece. 

San Fransisco trailed by only a run entering the sixth inning of Saturday’s game but that didn’t last as Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock both doubled in runs to give the Dodgers a 6-1 advantage. Brandon Crawford would produce the only other run for the Giants when he singled to right and drove home Lamonte Wade Jr. for their second and final run of the day.

"Obviously looking forward to turning the page on tonight's game and getting ready for Los Angeles," Giants’ manager Gabe Kapler said. "It wasn't our best effort tonight. Dodgers just swung the bats better than us, made more pitches than us, made more plays than us.

"So, as we've done all season long, we'll turn the page and get ready for an off day, an off day of preparation and get ready for Game 3."

https://youtu.be/ntreuNVtnkU?t=599

Saturday revealed a starkly different and vastly more potent LA offense from their Game 1 lethargy when they managed only five hits and were blanked on the scoreboard by the Giants’ pitching staff. 

"It's a good feeling," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "It's interesting how the narrative changes from game to game. Right now, it's a three-game series, we have home-field advantage and we have Max on the mound. I like where we're at."

Pitching Matchup

Alex Wood (10-4, 3.83 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) will toe the slab for the Giants on Monday night and he will try to duplicate his efforts from his last outing when he spun a gem against the Diamondbacks, allowing no runs and only three hits over six innings in what resulted in a 1-0 San Francisco victory back on September 28th. 

https://twitter.com/NBCSGiants/status/1447301557394055173?s=20

On the other side of the diamond, Mad Max Scherzer has been stellar since being acquired by the Dodgers from the Nationals at the trade deadline as evidenced by the following: 7-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.82 WHIP. The 37-year-old right-hander will take the hill for the Dodgers after pitching four-plus innings of three-hit, one-run baseball in LA’s 3-1 win over the Cardinals which punched their ticket into this series with the Giants. LA has won all 11 of his starts since he put on a Dodgers’ uniform back on August 4th when he pitched seven innings of two-run, five-hit ball in a 7-5 win over the Astros. 

Wanna Make a Bet?

The MLB odds on this one opened with the Dodgers as -190 home favorites but that number has not surprisingly jumped to as high as -210 in some spots. Apparently, the betting public thinks Max Scherzer is a pretty big deal and they happen to be right about that. 

But here are a few things to consider. First, Scherzer, while pitching for the Nationals, lasted only a third of an inning in his only start against the Giants this season after he left the mound after only a dozen pitches with a groin injury.

Secondly, his counter-number, Alex Wood, is a pretty good player and we don’t normally see pitchers of his ilk getting such a generous return. It is important to note that both offenses are among the best in baseball with LA ranked fourth averaging 5.1 runs per game while the Giants are right behind them, producing an average of 4.96 runs per contest.

And while a case could be made to take the dog here, the other man on the mound has been nothing but money since he arrived in LA. Moreover, the Giants have lost to the Dodgers in each of Wood’s three starts this season. Remember, there is no value in losing. Lay the lumber with Scherzer and suck up paying the big juice because Mad Max and the Dodgers are worth it in this one. 

MLB Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.