Brewers vs. Dodgers Odds, Preview, Picks & Prediction — Friday, October 1
Brewers vs. Dodgers Odds
| Brewers Odds | +180 |
| Dodgers Odds | -216 |
| Over/Under | 8 |
| Date | Friday, Oct. 1 |
| Time | 10:10 p.m. |
| TV | SNLA |
On Friday night, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin a three-game set at Dodger Stadium. Entering play, Milwaukee has clinched the second seed in the National League playoffs. Los Angeles trails the San Francisco Giants by two games in the National League West with three games remaining in the regular season. Hoping to avoid settling for a Wild Card spot, the Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the hill, who will be opposed by Eric Lauer. Oddsmakers are expecting the Dodgers recent hot streak to continue, pricing Los Angeles as -216 home favorites.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Milwaukee Brewers +180
Lauer had a rough start to his big-league career—posting a 4.75 ERA and a 4.43 FIP through his first three seasons as a professional. However, he has shown dramatic improvement in his fourth MLB season with a 2.93 ERA, 3.85 xERA, and a 3.84 FIP. He’s been even better since the All-Star break with a 2.04 ERA and a 2.86 FIP. During that stretch, he owns a 26.7 strikeout-percentage against a 6.7 percent walk-rate. Lauer has the tools to deliver a strong outing tonight against a Los Angeles lineup that has been only mediocre in recent weeks.
If Milwaukee is going to succeed in the postseason, they are going to need to be better at the plate. Over the last 14 days, the Brewers rank 21st in OPS and 17th in ISO. The only thing that this offense does well is draw base-on-balls, as they own the best walk-rate in the league over that span. Still, this lineup is not well equipped to handle facing a pitcher of Kershaw’s caliber this evening.
Similar to other teams that have already clinched their playoff seeding heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Milwaukee is unlikely to be aggressive with their bullpen usage over the next few days. Not a single member of the Brewers’ bullpen has thrown in back-to-back days since last week. Expect a continued conservative approach as this group sets their sights on next week’s matchup against the Atlanta Braves in the National League division series.
Los Angeles Dodgers -216
Kershaw spent a significant amount of time on the injured list this summer, but has been excellent when he’s been healthy. Since returning from the injured list at the beginning of the month, he owns a 3.29 ERA and a 3.16 FIP, which is not dissimilar to his 3.38 ERA, 3.16 xERA, and a 3.00 FIP for the year. There are few starting pitchers in the game with more talent and intellect than Kershaw. Bettors can trust that he will be ready to deliver a strong performance tonight in a must-win game for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles has no shortage of recognizable names in their lineup each day, but this group has struggled as a collective unit in the second half of the campaign. Over the last two weeks, the Dodgers have started to once again hit their stride—ranking sixth in OPS and fourth in ISO. This offense draws a difficult matchup against Lauer in this evening’s affair, but they should be able to generate some run-scoring opportunities nonetheless.
Unlike Milwaukee, the Dodgers will not be conservative with their bullpen in this contest. The Dodgers need to sweep the Brewers if they want any hope of winning their division. That starts with a win tonight. Expect Manager Dave Roberts to utilize his big-guns in the bullpen without hesitation. Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen were both unused yesterday, and thus should have no reason to be unavailable in this one.
Brewers vs. Dodgers Picks
Los Angeles is more than likely going to win this game, but you do not need to read a sports betting article to tell you that a team listed -216 on the money line is going to emerge victorious. Instead of betting the heavy price on the Dodgers to win, bettors should consider a play on the under in this game. Both Lauer and Kershaw have been throwing the ball very well in recent weeks. Milwaukee has struggled mightily at the plate in September, and has been poor against left-handed pitching since Opening Day. The under could be a profitable endeavor here.
PICK: Under 8 (-110)
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