Brewers vs. Dodgers NLCS Game 3 Betting Odds, Picks: L.A. heads home as +225 series underdogs
The Los Angeles Dodgers face a virtual must-win situation against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday, as the defending World Series champions trail the series 2-0 following a pair of road losses.
Milwaukee took the first two contests via 2-1 and 7-4 decisions. Success in this matchup is nothing new for the Brewers, who also won the regular-season series between these two teams – albeit by a slim 4-3 margin.
Of course, a head-to-head tiebreaker was not necessary to determine home-field advantage in the NLCS.
Milwaukee coasted to the best record in baseball at 103-59, finishing three games ahead of 100-62 Los Angeles and it never felt like the Brewers were seriously threatened in that race.
MLB Betting Odds and Trends
The Dodgers are -175 favourites to win Game 3 on the MLB odds, with the total set at 7.5.
Up 2-0, Milwaukee is a heavy -275 favourite to win the series on the MLB futures board, while L.A. is a +225 underdog.
Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee ended the regular season on a five-game winning streak and is 5-1 so far in the playoffs. As indicated by their 10-1 record in their last 11 overall, the Brewers are simply playing phenomenal baseball.
Pitching has paved the way, especially thanks to their relievers. Milwaukee ranked third in all of Major League Baseball during the regular season with a 3.40 bullpen ERA and the ‘pen has allowed a grand total of one earned run through 28.2 innings of postseason work. Starting for the visitors on Wednesday is Robert Gasser, who has been on an absolute roll of late.
The lefty wrapped up August with 5.1 innings of one-run baseball against the Mets, compiled a 1.67 ERA in the month of September and allowed only one run in 4.0 innings of a 3-1 NLDS win over the Padres.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Things have gotten so bad for Shohei Ohtani that there was actually a discussion of benching him for Game 3. Ohtani met with manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday and it led to the slugger remaining in the lineup.
Clearly less than 100 per cent from a physical standpoint, Ohtani has not hit a home run since August 18 and he is 3-for-20 in the postseason.
Blake Snell is taking the mound Wednesday for the home side. The 33-year-old may be a two-time Cy Young Award winner, but he does not inspire a whole lot of confidence at the moment.
Snell can still be elite when healthy, but he made a mere nine appearances during the entire regular season.
Rust was evident with Snell in his lone NLDS start against the Braves, as the left-hander issued five walks and scattered three hits in just 3.2 innings of a 3-2 loss.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Brewers vs. Dodgers?
The Brewers beat Dodgers aces Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the NLCS.
If they can accomplish that feat, there is no reason why they cannot get the best of Snell – even on the road. Gasser is cooking right now and he is facing a Los Angeles lineup that is in the midst of a significant struggle.
The Dodgers scored a modest nine runs in their last three NLDS games against Atlanta and have scored just five runs through two NLCS games. Although L.A. is playing at home, does it have any obvious advantage other than the friendly confines of Chavez Ravine?
At the moment, the answer may be no. Milwaukee’s lineup is much hotter and its bullpen is seemingly untouchable.
Let’s go with Brewers 4, Dodgers 3.
MIL
LAD