Miami At Los Angeles 2017 MLB Series Opener Free Picks

The Miami Marlins have lost two straight and seven of their last eight games heading into Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Dodgers have dropped three in a row and four of their last six as the calendar turned to Wednesday. With both struggling ballclubs looking to pick up a win in their series opener on Thursday, the question begs to be asked. Who’s the right pick when these two teams meet on Thursday night? Find the latest baseball betting run lines here.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Marlins At Dodgers 2017 MLB Series Opener Free Picks

When: Thursday, May 18, 10:10 PM ET Where: Dodger Stadium TV: FS-F, SportsNet LA Probable Pitchers: Miami – Edinson Volquez – R (0-5, 4.41 ERA) / L.A. Dodgers – Hyun-Jin Ryu – R (1-5, 4.99 ERA) MLB Odds: Los Angeles Dodgers Moneyline -180  

Why Bet on the Miami Marlins

The best – and only – reason to back the Marlins in this contest is that they’ve surprisingly, flat-out owned the Dodgers in recent years. Miami won six of the seven meetings against the Dodgers last season and has won seven of the last 10 overall. Unfortunately, the Marlins have been giving up runs lately like they’re going out of style. Miami gave up a dozen runs to Houston on Tuesday, one day after allowing the Astros to put seven runs on the board. The Marlins have given up at least six runs in seven of their last 10 games while allowing eight runs or more four times during the stretch. The good news however is that veteran right-hander Edinson Volquez has looked good in each of his last three starts and comes into this contest after limiting Atlanta to two earned runs on four hits while striking out five in Miami’s 3-1 loss on Saturday.

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers

The best reason to bet on the Dodgers in this contest is that, prior to their three-game skid, L.A. had won two straight and six of their previous seven games. The Dodgers are also a solid 13-6 at home this season while Miami has gone a polar opposite 6-13 on the road. The bad news is that right-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu was smacked around for a whopping 10 runs (five earned) on eight hits and six walks in just 4.0 innings of the Dodgers’ 10-7 loss to Colorado on Thursday. I guess there’s also some good news in that Ryu will reportedly be pitching to keep his spot in the starting rotation in this contest.

Analysis and Expert Prediction

I know that Hyun-Jin Ryu was rocked the last time he took the mound, but prior to that, he limited both, Philadelphia and San Francisco to one run apiece over 11.1 combined innings. With his spot in the starting rotation on the line, I like him to stage a nice bounce-back performance in this matchup. The Marlins are 2-5 in their last 7 road games, an awful 7-19 in their last 26 games overall and a winless 0-4 in Edinson Volquez’s last 4 road starts. Conversely, the Dodgers are 43-14 in their last 57 home games vs. a right-handed starter, 21-7 in their last 28 vs. National League East and 23-7 in Hyun-Jin Ryu’s last 30 starts vs. a team with a losing record. L.A. wins to get back on track.

Pick: Los Angeles 4 Miami 3