Cubs Look to Narrow Series Deficit vs. Dodgers as NLCS Game 3 Odds Favorite

Colorado at LA Dodgers Game Info & MLB Betting Prediction

Written by on April 18, 2017

It’s Game No. 2 of an NL West series on Wednesday night from Los Angeles as Dodgers ace and Cy Young betting favorite Clayton Kershaw takes the mound against the only team to beat him this year, the Colorado Rockies. L.A. is a big baseball betting favorite.

Colorado at LA Dodgers Game Info & MLB Betting Prediction

When: Wednesday, April 19, 10:10 PM ET Where: Dodger Stadium, LA Probable pitchers (away/home): Tyler Anderson/Clayton Kershaw TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv RadioColorado / Los Angeles Opening MLB Lines: Dodgers favored by TBA

Why Bet On Colorado?

Third baseman Nolan Arenado is off to another fine start and should be part of the MVP conversation again. Arenado went 2-for- 4 with a two-run double in Sunday’s win over the Giants. Arenado turned 26 on Sunday and rang in the occasion with a two-run double against Jeff Samardzija in the first inning. He would add another two-bagger later in the contest for good measure. The All-Star third baseman is up to five doubles on the season and has hit the ground running. Over his first 52 at-bats this season, Arenado is slashing .327/.397/.654 with four home runs and eight RBIs. Outfielder David Dahl, who was so good as a rookie last year, is scheduled to have his injured rib scanned on April 21 to determine if he’s cleared for hitting. Dahl has been limited light workouts while he’s recovering from a stress reaction in his rib. The Rockies should have a clearer timetable for his recovery after that examination. It’s Tyler Anderson on the mound for the Rockies. Anderson lost to the Giants after giving up four runs in four innings Friday. Chris Marrero and Brandon Crawford homered off him. Anderson has an 8.59 ERA and no quality starts in three tries so far. His 13/5 K/BB ratio in 14 2/3 innings isn't bad, but if he doesn’t perform better here, his rotation spot could be in jeopardy. Anderson worked on some mechanical flaws on Sunday. He has had a rough start after he went 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 19 outings as a rookie in 2016. Manager Bud Black watched Sunday’s session closely, along with pitching coach Steve Foster and bullpen coach Darren Holmes, and there was plenty of coaching. Black said the difference between this year and last, when Anderson consistently forced weak contact, is the downward tilt of the pitches. It’s not as great this year, which means hitters can match the plane of the pitch and hit balls harder. His ground-ball rate had dropped from 53.3 percent in 2016 to 37.5 percent this year. Combined on his fastball and changeup, the ground-ball rate has dropped from 36.6 percent to 31.3 percent.

Why Bet On LA Dodgers?

LA is without outfielder Franklin Gutierrez. He did some hitting on the field Monday. Gutierrez is eligible for activation from the disabled list on Friday, although it’s unclear if he’ll be ready at that time. He’ll obviously need to test out his left hamstring with some running first. Lefty Rich Hill, the team’s second-best starter, was forced to leave Sunday’s start in the fourth inning with a recurrence of his blister issue. Hill had just been activated from the disabled list prior to Sunday’s start. He missed his last start, and over a month of time in 2016, due to lingering blister issues. Clayton Kershaw cruised through 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits, in beating the Diamondbacks last time out. Kershaw was at 107 pitches and wanted to continue, but with Paul Goldschmidt coming up, Manager Dave Roberts brought in Pedro Baez for his 2017 debut, having come off the disabled list earlier in the day. It was a far cry from his previous start in Colorado, when Kershaw gave up back-to- back home runs for the first time in his career, and multiple home runs in an inning for just the third time. “You know what, after he didn’t have the great outing in Colorado, you knew somebody was going to have to pay,” Roberts said. In recovering from his rocky start in the Rocky Mountains, Kershaw continued his dominance at Dodger Stadium. He is 9-0 in his past 10 starts at home, with a 0.47 ERA. Kershaw has a changeup that he will throw maybe once a game — he has not thrown one yet this year. Basically he throws a fastball at 93 or 94 mph, a slider at 90 mph and a big curveball at about 75 mph.

Colorado at LA Dodgers MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers

If you are picking against Kershaw at home, you are throwing your money away.