by James Q
Thursday, Oct 07, 2021Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Odds Preview and Picks - 10/08/2021
Game Time: 9:37 pm ET, Friday, October 8th, 2021
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Where to Watch: TBS-INT, TBS
Opening MLB Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Dodgers -125, Giants +105; O/U : 7 runs
Caesars: Moneyline: Dodgers -119, Giants +109; O/U : 7 runs
BetMGM: Moneyline: Dodgers -120, Giants +100; O/U 7 runs
Season Record
Dodgers: 106-56 (2nd place, NL West) ; Winners of the 1 game Wild Card vs Cardinals.
Giants: 107-55 (1st place, NL West) ; Got an extra 2 days of rest and rehab.
The Heavyweight fight is set. This is truly a Champion vs the best contender alive. These two teams set baseball on fire as they battled all season long to finish just a game apart in the National League… in the NL West… in the heartaches and blood pressure of two city’s fans that will never forget 2021. During the season they played each other 19 times… The Giants won 10 of those games, the Dodgers won 9 of those games… The Dodgers outscored the Giants by 2 runs… each team had a walk off home run win against the other! It was a close and bitter slog from start to finish.
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Dodgers vs Giants Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
The Los Angeles Dodgers went 9-1 over their last ten games and missed the division tie by 1 game.. To make matters worse that 1 game was to the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks… but that is how baseball goes. In any three or four game series any team can beat any team once. In any single game any team can beat any team. A forgotten veteran playing out the dusty years of a long ago signed contract, can get hot at the plate and drop your favorite team with one well-timed swing. This is why the 1 game “win or go home” Wild Card against the St Louis Cardinals was soooo tense. The Dodgers beat the Cards with a walk off home run from the struggling Chris Taylor on Wednesday night… but up until that swing it was a close game that promised tense extra innings. In the final ten games the Dodgers logged 6 Overs and 4 Unders.
The Giants went 8-2 over their last ten games. It’s a good thing they started the run 2 games above the Dodgers. They managed to keep the division win by 1 game. During the stretch they notched 4 Overs and 6 Unders. They beat the Arizona Cardinals 3-0, the Colorado Rockies 3-0… but took some of the San Diego Padres rough and tumble, up and down batting to 2-2. The Padres were in the odd position of beating the Giants and helping their most hated foe the Dodgers at the same time. The Giants had a simple philosophy this year and great team play put it to work. They committed to swinging at strikes and throwing strikes from the mound. This meant they would hit homers and get outs through fielding the ball instead of pussy-footing around with strikeouts and pitch counts. It worked! Ten Giants had more than ten home runs on the season. The Giants pitchers are the winningest in 2021. It may be something that catches on across the league. Hitting and pitching without nerds calling down from the skybox… who would have thought?!!!
Offensive Analysis
It all starts over in the postseason. The Dodgers finished 2021 in the top five of every major batting category except team batting average. The proliferation of home runs was something else, with 6 guys having more than 20 home runs led by Max Muncy who had 36. They totaled an insane 237 home runs on a .244 team batting average.
The Giants beat the Dodgers insane 237 home runs with the league’s #1 total of 241. Brandon Belt is their hard hitter with 29 followed by Mike Yastrzemski with 28. They finished with a team batting average of .249. Brandon Crawford was a batting revelation he had 24 home runs and 90 RBIs… he didn’t lead the team, but like the Dodgers the Giants have guy that can hit all over the lineup.
Defensive Analysis
The Dodgers have a pitching staff that while even losing a few top guys is still the envy of the league. This entire series will be about when to start Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, and whether to relieve with Brusdar Graterol or Joe Kelly… They always have the top closer Kenley Jansen in reach.
The Giants pitchers started the season with the expectation of 70 wins… The pitching staff ensured they got a league best 107! Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Logan Webb, Alex Wood… all winning starters with more than 10 wins… all pitching great. They also have Jake McGee who has 31 Saves.
Dodgers vs Giants Prediction
Our prediction for Friday October 8th is….. Dodgers 6 - Giants 2
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MLB Betting Trends
The Dodgers are 107-54 as the favorite, +15.3 Units on the moneyline.
The Dodgers are 80-39 in night games, + 13.6 Units on the moneyline.
In all games the Dodgers are +13.3 Units on the Moneyline.
The Giants are 107-55 in all games, +46.1 Units on the Moneyline.
The Giants are 54-27 in home games, +18.2 Units on the Moneyline.
The Giants are 67-36 in night games, + 25.6 Units on the Moneyline.
Key Injuries
Dodgers: 1B Max Muncy (Elbow) Questionable
Giants: Brandon Belt (thumb) Game Time decision.
Players To Watch
Dodgers: Walker Buehler. The Dodgers’ right-handed, 27 year old, starting pitcher was 16-4, 2.47 ERA, 212 SO in 207.2 innings of work, with a .97 Whip in the 2021 MLB regular season. He has been phenomenal. Dodgers fans noticed his quick ascension to take the place of the aging Dodger legend Clayton Kershaw. While Clayton will never leave Dodger fan’s hearts he has been replaced as the staff’s true ACE by Walker Buehler.
Giants: Corbin Burnes. The Giants 26 year old phenom has had a similarly amazing run through 2021. He went 11-5, 2.43 ERA, 234 SO in 167 IP, .94 WHIP. Burnesy has a mullet that could shame Billy Ray Cyrus circa 1993 and a beaming smile to go with it. He lost his last start against the Dodgers on October 2nd when he gave up 2 hits and 3 earned runs in 2 innings. He won’t wilt because of it. He’ll be a tough matchup for a Dodgers club that will be going without Max Muuncy in the lineup.
Starting Lineups
Dodgers:
M. Betts, RF
C. Seager, SS
T. Turner, 2B
J. Turner, 3B
W. Smith, C
A. Pollock, LF
M. Beaty, 1B
C. Bellinger, CF
Giants:
T. La Stella, 2B
W. Flores, 1B
L. Wade Jr., RF
B. Posey, C
B. Crawford, SS
K. Bryant, LF
M. Yastrzemski, CF
E. Longoria, 3B
Statistical Leaders
Dodgers:
Batting Average: Trea Turner .338 (also led the league)
Home Runs: Max Muncy 36
Hits: Justin Turner 148
Wins: Julio Urias 20
ERA: Max Scherzer 1.98
Giants
Batting Average: Buster Posey .304
Home Runs: Brandon Belt 29
Hits: Brandon Crawford 144
Wins: Kevin Gausman 14
ERA: Kevin Gausman 2.81
Managers:
Dodgers: Dave Roberts
Giants: Gabe Kapler
Weather Forecast
Partly Cloudy 64* for the day high… it will get chilly by the Bay as the sun sets. The wind will kick up to 19 mph.
James Q
About the Author:
James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.
