Astros vs. Dodgers: MLB Betting Predictions

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The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series and the two teams have combined for seven Fall Classic trips over that span – with Houston the defending champion as well. It’s quite possible they meet again in the 2023 World Series as they face off on Friday to open a three-game regular-season set in LA.

Astros vs. Dodgers | 2023 MLB Expert Analysis

How to Bet Houston at LA Dodgers MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 10:10 ET
Where: Dodger Stadium
Probable pitchers (away/home): JP France/Emmet Sheehan
TV: MLB Network
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Dodgers -140, Astros +130 (total 9.5)

Why Bet on Houston?

Houston enters on a two-game winning streak after beating the Mets 10-8 on Wednesday to win two of three in that series. Alex Bregman went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in the win. He hit an RBI single in the opening frame and added another in the fourth inning to put Houston ahead for good. He’s recorded hits in four consecutive games and has eight hits in 17 at-bats during that span.

Shortstop Jeremy Pena went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base Wednesday. Pena reached base at least once for the ninth consecutive game. He’s maintained a .324 average and .410 on-base percentage in that span, though he has only two extra-base hits and no home runs.

Yainer Diaz stayed hot Wednesday as he went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run. The 24-year-old rookie has taken full advantage of the absence of Yordan Alvarez (oblique), hitting safely in five straight games to continue a hot stretch that has seen Diaz slash .339/.344/.729 over his last 16 contests with six of his seven homers on the season. Alvarez won’t be back until after the All-Star break.

Ryan Pressly struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 14th save of the season but with Thursday off should be available Friday. Pressly has now kept the opposition off the board in three straight games, leaving him with a 3.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 34:7 K:BB through 31.1 innings on the year.

It’s rookie JP France (2-2) on the mound Friday. France allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out three across 6.2 innings to take the loss against the Reds last Friday. France has worked deep into his starts of late, completing at least six innings in each of his last four appearances. In that span, he’s maintained a 3.42 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while posting a 20:11 K:BB across 26.1 frames.

France is the first Astros rookie to throw at least three quality starts in a row since Chris Sampson, who did it in five consecutive starts in 2007 but he has been getting just 2.85 runs of support this year.

“It is what it is,” France said. “As a pitcher, you can’t control any of that. You’ve just got to go out there and do your job and give your team a chance to win and hopefully get five, six, seven, eight innings. Sometimes I’ll have the boys’ back, sometimes the boys will have my back. That’s how it works.”

The 28-year-old made his MLB debut on May 6, and has proceeded to provide much-needed consistency for a Houston staff hampered by health issues. Wednesday completed a streak of playing 26 games in 27 days for Houston, which went 13-13 in them.

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Why Bet on LA Dodgers?

The Dodgers also enter on a two-game winning streak as they swept a two-game set at the Angels on Tuesday and Wednesday by identical 2-0 scores. Freddie Freeman hit his 14th homer off Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning, and seven relievers combined on a two-hitter on Wednesday. It was the Dodgers’ eighth consecutive victory over the Angels. This mini-sweep interrupted the Dodgers’ 4-10 skid before they traveled to Anaheim.

Reliever Shelby Miller went on the injured list with neck pain ahead of Wednesday’s game. Miller, who hasn’t pitched since June 15, will be sidelined for three to four weeks. Miller won’t throw for two weeks before getting reevaluated. . He has a 2.40 ERA in his 25 games with 31 strikeouts in 30 innings and held right-handers to just 6-for-52 (.115/.220/.212) on the season. The Dodgers bullpen had an excellent showing in Anaheim but LA relievers own a 4.88 ERA overall this year that ranks 29th in MLB.

Third baseman Max Muncy, who led the majors in homers for a while, is likely to be activated off the injured list for Friday’s game. He’s hitting just .191 on the year and just .142 since the end of April but has 18 homers and 45 RBIs. Part of Muncy’s struggles is how he hits the ball as his .180 BABIP is ridiculously low. Muncy is pulling the ball 58.6% of at-bats but doesn’t seem to be benefitting from the banning of the shift. He hits too many fly balls to capitalize on the new rules.

Dodgers All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman is two hits shy of 2,000 career so he should get that this weekend if not Friday. He would become the seventh Dodger to reach 2,000 hits and 295th player in MLB history.

It’s rookie Emmet Sheehan (0-0, 0.00) on the mound for the Dodgers. Sheehan held the Giants hitless over six innings last Friday in a no-decision in his MLB debut. He tossed 51-of-89 pitches for strikes and generated four whiffs. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, giving Sheehan a no-decision for his efforts. The 23-year-old right-hander had produced a 1.86 ERA and 14.85 K/9 across 53 1/3 Double-A innings before Friday’s debut. He obviously hasn’t faced Houston.

The length of Sheehan’s stay with the big club will likely hinge on how he performs Friday and any additional starts that may follow, as well as the availability of Julio Urias (hamstring), who could be ready to rejoin the rotation at some point late next week.

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