LA Dodgers (79-67) at St Louis (81-65)
When: Thursday, September 13th 2018
Where: Busch Stadium,
St Louis, Missouri
Time: 7:15 ET | TV: MLB Network
Opening Odds: Los Angeles -160/7.5
If you’re not interested in the Thursday Night NFL game, then you’ll want to turn your attention to Major League Baseball and the MLB Network for the opener of a four-game series featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. The NL West and Wild Card races are really heating up and both teams are right in the thick of it. The Dodgers are just a game behind Colorado in the West race prior to Wednesday night’s action, and two games behind St. Louis in the wild card race. The Dodgers are 3-3 so far on their 10-game road trip after avoiding a potentially embarrassing series and season sweep of the last-place Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday with an 8-1 rout. The Dodgers have homered in 20 straight games, their longest streak since moving to L.A. and four shy of the franchise record. Thursday starter Clayton Kershaw is unbeaten in his last eight turns, posting a 4-0 record in that span and not allowing more than two earned runs in any of them, but he’s only 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA in seven career starts at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 loss versus Pittsburgh on Wednesday but are confident in facing L.A. after sweeping them at Dodger Stadium just over three weeks ago. Rookie pitcher Austin Gomber is unbeaten since joining the starting rotation and has allowed nine runs in his last six starts.
Pitchers: Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw (7-5, 2.42 ERA) | Cardinals – Austin Gomber (5-0, 2.93)
Kershaw may have just a 7-5 record, but that doesn’t tell the story of how well he’s pitching. He picked up his 12th consecutive quality start at Colorado on Friday, earning the victory with seven strikeouts in six innings of two-run ball at Coors Field. Kershaw has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 15 of his last 16 starts and no more than three earned runs just once all season. He has not faced the Cardinals this season but he has held their current roster to a .213 batting average.
Gomber has transitioned nicely from the bullpen to rotation, posting a 4-0 mark over his last six turns after allowing three runs and six hits over six innings in a no-decision at Detroit last time out. He faced the Dodgers on August 20th and also did not factor in the decision, surrendering two runs over five innings, and has not allowed a home run over his last six starts.
Both Kershaw and Gomber have been pitching great over a decent stretch and the Dodgers and Cardinals both struggle a bit against lefties. This will be a playoff-type atmosphere and I can see a low scoring affair, just like all three back in L.A. last month.
Pick: UNDER 7.5 -115
BETTING TRENDS:
- Dodgers are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Dodgers are 4-1 in their last 5 Thursday games.
- Dodgers are 10-4 in their last 14 road games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Dodgers are 5-2 in their last 7 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Dodgers are 22-9 in their last 31 during game 1 of a series.
- Dodgers are 68-33 in their last 101 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Dodgers are 0-5 in their last 5 vs. National League Central.
- Dodgers are 7-2 in Kershaw’s last 9 starts vs. National League Central.
- Dodgers are 39-12 in Kershaw’s last 51 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Dodgers are 49-16 in Kershaw’s last 65 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.
- Dodgers are 67-22 in Kershaw’s last 89 starts.
- Dodgers are 66-22 in Kershaw’s last 88 starts on grass.
- Dodgers are 53-21 in Kershaw’s last 74 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Dodgers are 20-8 in Kershaw’s last 28 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Dodgers are 39-16 in Kershaw’s last 55 starts with 5 days of rest.
- Dodgers are 12-5 in Kershaw’s last 17 Thursday starts.
- Dodgers are 46-21 in Kershaw’s last 67 road starts.
- Cardinals are 7-1 in their last 8 vs. National League West.
- Cardinals are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning record.
- Cardinals are 8-2 in their last 10 during game 1 of a series.
- Cardinals are 4-1 in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Cardinals are 11-3 in their last 14 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Cardinals are 16-5 in their last 21 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Cardinals are 22-8 in their last 30 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Cardinals are 23-9 in their last 32 overall.
- Cardinals are 23-9 in their last 32 games on grass.
- Cardinals are 12-5 in their last 17 home games.
- Cardinals are 4-0 in Gomber’s last 4 starts following a team loss in their previous game.
- Cardinals are 7-1 in Gomber’s last 8 starts.
- Cardinals are 7-1 in Gomber’s last 8 starts on grass.
- Over is 6-1 in Dodgers last 7 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Under is 4-1 in Dodgers last 5 vs. National League Central.
- Under is 22-8 in Dodgers last 30 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Over is 5-2 in Dodgers last 7 Thursday games.
- Under is 9-4 in Dodgers last 13 overall.
- Under is 9-4 in Dodgers last 13 on grass.
- Under is 4-1 in Kershaw’s last 5 road starts.
- Over is 4-1-1 in Kershaw’s last 6 starts vs. National League Central.
- Under is 19-6-1 in Kershaw’s last 26 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Over is 5-2 in Kershaw’s last 7 Thursday starts.
- Under is 7-3-1 in Kershaw’s last 11 starts during game 1 of a series.
- Under is 42-18-2 in Kershaw’s last 62 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
- Under is 5-0 in Cardinals last 5 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
- Over is 5-0 in Cardinals last 5 home games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Over is 4-1 in Cardinals last 5 home games.
- Under is 4-1 in Cardinals last 5 games vs. a left-handed starter.
- Under is 5-2 in Cardinals last 7 vs. National League West.
- Under is 5-2 in Cardinals last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Under is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings in St. Louis.
- Under is 35-16 in the last 51 meetings.
- Dodgers are 18-39 in the last 57 meetings in St. Louis.
- Dodgers are 1-5 in Kershaw’s last 6 road starts vs. Cardinals.
- Dodgers are 0-5 in the last 5 meetings.
