LA desperately needs a win Tuesday night
The Braves can put the Dodgers on the brink of elimination Tuesday night.
Atlanta currently owns a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series following a pair of walk-off wins to kick off the best-of-seven set. But Los Angeles is in good position to bounce back Tuesday night when it will enjoy home-field advantage and send one of its best starting arms to the hill.
Here is a betting preview for NLCS Game 3, courtesy of SportsGrid.
Atlanta Braves at (-1.5) Los Angeles Dodgers
Moneyline: Braves +160, Dodgers -190
Spread: Braves +1.5 (-142), Dodgers -1.5 (+118)
Total (7.5): Over (-105), Under (-115)
Odds to win World Series: Braves +200, Dodgers +290
The Dodgers could face a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 series deficit with a loss Tuesday. Thankfully, they’re sending Walker Buehler to the mound for Game 3, and he’s been an absolute stud at home this season.
Buehler finished the regular season with an 11-2 record at home, pitching to a 2.05 ERA and allowing just 0.96 walks and hits per inning pitched. The young righty struck out 9.51 batters per nine innings while allowing 0.95 home runs per nine. He carried that assertiveness into the postseason, where Buehler limited the San Francisco Giants to one run in 4 1/3 innings of a must-win Game 4 of their NL Division Series.
The Braves could see some fallback in their offensive metrics over the coming games. Atlanta has benefitted from timely hitting, thanks to Joc Pederson and Austin Riley. Pederson’s postseason on-base plus slugging percentage (1.357) is nearly double his regular-season total (.752), while Riley’s playoff on-base plus slugging percentage (1.098) is 200 points higher than his regular-season average (.898). Both players are on an unsustainable path and will come back to earth, bringing the Braves run total down with them.
The Dodgers offense should get back on track Tuesday at Chavez Ravine. LA finished with the fifth-best on-base plus slugging percentage at home this season, scoring the seventh-most runs. Charlie Morton doesn’t give up a lot of hard contact, but the Dodgers can manufacture runs up and down their batting order.
The starting pitchers in Tuesday’s contest will be on their A-game, meaning runs will be at a premium. We’re expecting the Dodgers to find a way to win a low-scoring affair as the Braves hitters cool off.
The Bet: Dodgers -190, Under 7.5 -115
All MLB game predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.