Kershaw and Lincecum square off Friday night
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (70-72, -4.5 Units)
at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (75-68, -6.8 Units)
First pitch: Friday, 10:15 p.m. EDT
Line: San Francisco -120, L.A. Dodgers +110, Total: 5.5
The season is winding down for the N.L. West rivals, but the Dodgers and Giants will have a premiere pitching matchup when they meet up in Los Angeles Friday night.
Dodgers stud Clayton Kershaw looks to continue his second-half tear, while Giants ace Tim Lincecum tries to rebound from back-to-back disappointing outings. San Francisco’s offense has been better of late, while the Dodgers have lost one of their best hitters, LF Andre Ethier, for the season. The fact that these two pitchers are so evenly matched would suggest betting the underdog, as would Kershaw’s ridiculous track record at AT&T Park (3-1, 0.57 ERA in five starts) and the Dodgers’ recent run (13 wins in their past 16 games). Plus, the FoxSheets have a four-star trend that confirms LOS ANGELES is the pick:
SAN FRANCISCO is 10-28 (26.3%, -21.2 Units) against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better this season. The average score was SAN FRANCISCO 2.4, OPPONENT 4.6 - (Rating = 4*).
Kershaw (17-5, 2.45 ERA) has been magnificent since the All-Star break. He’s 8-1 with a 1.44 ERA while the Dodgers have gone 8-2 in his past 10 starts. He has a 1.40 ERA in seven road starts since the Break. He’s also 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA against the Giants this year, including an absolutely dominant outing the last time he faced them on July 20 (eight shutout innings, three hits, 12 strikeouts, one walk).
However, the Giants hadn’t yet acquired RF Carlos Beltran at that point. After a slow start with the Giants, Beltran is 12-for-19 thus far in September.
Lincecum (12-12, 2.75 ERA) has not been sharp in his past two outings, both at home. He allowed five runs (four earned) and walked four over six innings in a loss to the Cubs on August 29, and in a must-win game last Saturday, he allowed five runs and nine hits, lasting just five innings against Arizona. A date with the Dodgers could be what he needs though. In three starts facing L.A. this year, Lincecum has a 1.86 ERA. Though, due to a lack of run support, the Giants lost two of those games.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (70-72, -4.5 Units)
at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (75-68, -6.8 Units)
First pitch: Friday, 10:15 p.m. EDT
Line: San Francisco -120, L.A. Dodgers +110, Total: 5.5
The season is winding down for the N.L. West rivals, but the Dodgers and Giants will have a premiere pitching matchup when they meet up in Los Angeles Friday night.
Dodgers stud Clayton Kershaw looks to continue his second-half tear, while Giants ace Tim Lincecum tries to rebound from back-to-back disappointing outings. San Francisco’s offense has been better of late, while the Dodgers have lost one of their best hitters, LF Andre Ethier, for the season. The fact that these two pitchers are so evenly matched would suggest betting the underdog, as would Kershaw’s ridiculous track record at AT&T Park (3-1, 0.57 ERA in five starts) and the Dodgers’ recent run (13 wins in their past 16 games). Plus, the FoxSheets have a four-star trend that confirms LOS ANGELES is the pick:
SAN FRANCISCO is 10-28 (26.3%, -21.2 Units) against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better this season. The average score was SAN FRANCISCO 2.4, OPPONENT 4.6 - (Rating = 4*).
Kershaw (17-5, 2.45 ERA) has been magnificent since the All-Star break. He’s 8-1 with a 1.44 ERA while the Dodgers have gone 8-2 in his past 10 starts. He has a 1.40 ERA in seven road starts since the Break. He’s also 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA against the Giants this year, including an absolutely dominant outing the last time he faced them on July 20 (eight shutout innings, three hits, 12 strikeouts, one walk).
However, the Giants hadn’t yet acquired RF Carlos Beltran at that point. After a slow start with the Giants, Beltran is 12-for-19 thus far in September.
Lincecum (12-12, 2.75 ERA) has not been sharp in his past two outings, both at home. He allowed five runs (four earned) and walked four over six innings in a loss to the Cubs on August 29, and in a must-win game last Saturday, he allowed five runs and nine hits, lasting just five innings against Arizona. A date with the Dodgers could be what he needs though. In three starts facing L.A. this year, Lincecum has a 1.86 ERA. Though, due to a lack of run support, the Giants lost two of those games.
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