by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Oct 09, 2021
Game time: 9:07 p.m. ET
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
Where to watch: TBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Dodgers -115, Giants -105
BetMGM: Dodgers -115, Giants -105
Caesars: Dodgers -115, Giants -105
Larry made it a 3-0 Friday sweep in the MLB playoffs and is now 229-186, +$20,368 (at $100/unit) since Opening Day. The Dodgers/Giants rivalry ranks with the best in ANY sport (a 131-year history that began in New York). Larry ca$hed with his Friday 10* Rivalry Rout (SF 4-0) and is right back with another top-rated 10* for his Rivalry Rout-Part 2. Catch Larry’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Dodgers - Giants preview and analysis
Game 2, National League Division Series -- Giants lead 1-0
You couldn’t script a better start for the San Francisco Giants in this highly-anticipated series.
It had all the vibes from the previous decade: Dominant pitching, timely hitting, and Buster Posey turning back the clock.
Now the Giants will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers when the teams meet in San Francisco for Game 2 on Saturday.
The Dodgers were coming into Game 1 off an emotional high with a walk-off win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card game. A day off with a little travel shouldn’t have resulted in only five hits through nine innings for this stacked lineup.
But it just shows how good the Giants are, especially on the mound. Starting pitcher Logan Webb threw a dominant 7.2 innings with 10 strikeouts, outdueling Dodgers ace Walker Buehler (6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K).
“You kind of dream of these moments growing up as a player,” Webb said. “Just to be able to be a part of it and do it is something that's special, for sure.”
The writing was on the wall early when Posey, the former MVP and three-time world champion, led off the first inning with a two-run home run to push the Giants out to an early lead. Posey’s was the first of three homers on Friday with Brandon Crawford going deep in the eighth, and Kris Bryant hitting his first home run with the Giants in the bottom of the seventh.
Bryant, acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, went 3-for-3 in his San Francisco playoff debut. But there was no doubt from him: His starter was the man of the match.
“Logan, the star of the night,” Bryant said. “I'm so impressed with him. His first playoff experience and he was just out there pretending like it's a game in the backyard. It was really fun to watch. Really fun.”
The Dodgers are already reeling without leading slugger Max Muncy due to an elbow injury that could keep him out for the rest of this series. But Webb did more than asked of him to silence the heart of the Los Angeles order.
Trea Turner and Justin Turner went 0-for-4, while Mookie Betts and Will Smith combined for four of the five Dodgers hits. Matt Beaty (playing first base in place of Muncy), Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock combined to go 0-for-9 from the 6-8 spots.
“To be quite honest, we didn't make adjustments,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought he had good command tonight, mostly the glove side versus the right-hand hitters. Then the slider, the change down below, and we just chased a lot more than we should have. If you don't make adjustments, then they're going to keep going to the well, and that was kind of the story of it.”
It’s not often you see Buehler roughed up in that fashion, but outside of the two homers given up, he pitched well. It was the lineup, with help from one of the Giants’ dominant pitchers, that made the difference in Game 1.
Game 2 could see a different outcome with the Dodgers sending 20-game winner and potential Cy Young winner Julio Urias to the mound. Urias was probably the least-talked about 20-game winner in baseball history to couple with a 2.96 ERA. When you already have Max Scherzer and Buehler, it comes with the job.
The Dodgers will hope to have better luck against other Giants star pitcher Kevin Gausman. Coming off a career year, Gausman went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA during the regular season.
Prediction
There’s no way we can expect the Dodgers to lose twice before the series shifts to Los Angeles. Urias will get the chance to show how dominant he was this year and will have his turn in silencing the Giants’ order and bring this exciting series back to Dodger Stadium even at a game apiece. Dodgers win 5-3
Betting trends
The Dodgers are 6-14 this season and 20-30 the past three seasons when the money line is +125 to -125. With that line on the road, the Dodgers are 5-13 this season.
Los Angeles is 26-6 in Urias’ starts this season and 15-2 in his starts when the Dodgers are a road favorite of -110 or higher.
The Giants are 104-110 (+35.8 net games on the money line) the last three years as an underdog; they’re 33-22 this season.
San Francisco is 72-54 in games following three straight after a division rival.
Key injuries
Dodgers: 1B Max Muncy (elbow, day-to-day)
Giants: 1B Brandon Belt (thumb, 10-day IL)
Projected lineup
Dodgers:
Mookie Betts (R) RF
Corey Seager (L) SS
Trea Turner (R) 2B
Justin Turner (R) 3B
Will Smith (R) C
Matt Beaty (L) 1B
Cody Bellinger (L) CF
AJ Pollock (R) LF
Julio Urias (L) P
Giants:
Tommy La Stella (L) 2B
Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
Brandon Crawford (L) SS
Buster Posey (R) C
LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) RF
Kris Bryant (R) LF
Mike Yastrzemski (L) CF
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Kevin Gausman (R) P
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
