The Dodgers send MVP and Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw to the hill Sunday to finish off a three-game set with the Astros. Los Angeles has struggled away from Dodger Stadium and the road has been unkind to Kershaw as well, who has just a 3-4 record in away games while the Dodgers are 5-8 in games started by him.
ODDS ANALYSIS
As good as the Dodgers should be, they’ve been downright horrible on the road this season. Yet they still hold the lead in the NL West as the season winds down. Los Angeles entered the weekend with five straight road losses after being swept by the Oakland A’s when their bullpen faltered once again. The Dodgers have been a money pit to bettors when playing away from Dodger Stadium, going 25-33 overall, in the red 20.33 units. The Astros continue to play well at Minute Maid Park, entering the weekend with a 42-21 overall record putting them in the black 15.08 units on the moneyline. They went 4-3 through the first seven games of this 10-game homestand and managed just eight runs while splitting a four-game set with Tampa Bay, which ended Thursday when the Astros were shutout on one hit. The Astros have been struggling to score since the first part of August with the under going 11-4 in the last 15 following the shutout loss to the Rays.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.34 ERA) was admittedly more ‘fired up’ than usual in his last outing. He allowed five hits and one earned run over seven innings, but was saddled with a no-decision after the bullpen crumbled and couldn’t hold a three-run lead in the eighth. Kershaw has been rather average on the road this season with a 3-4 record and 3.09 ERA in 13 starts.
Kershaw’s made four starts in minute Maid Park, posting a 3.91 ERA across 23 innings. He tossed seven scoreless in his last outing there on Apr. 21, 2012.
Lance McCullers (5-4, 3.17 ERA) has been at Double-A Corpus Christi since Aug. 4 in an effort to limit his innings, and will make his return to the rotation Sunday. He allowed six earned runs retiring just one batter at Texas on Aug. 3 in his last big league start. The rookie has been marvelous at home posting a 4-0 record, 1.50 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .178 opponent’s batting average in seven starts. He’ll face the Dodgers for the first time.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Getting him back on the mound in Corpus is a big step toward getting him to finish the season in the mix. He’s been one of our best pitchers throughout the course of the year. I make no promises on how it’s all going to play out, but he could factor into the rest of the year after we cleared a couple of weeks off his season to allow him to be a factor.” – Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Lance McCullers
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
For an Astros offense that scored two or fewer runs seven times since Aug. 7, the knee-jerk reaction is to give the opposing pitchers credit. Even so, the Astros lineup is scuffling, regardless of who’s on the bump. Their last three victories before facing the Dodgers came in the final at-bat, including a pair of 3-2 extra inning wins against Tampa Bay. The Astros have been lacking production throughout their lineup, from recently acquired center fielder Carlos Gomez to their revolving door of first basemen. The catching tandem of Jason Castro and Hank Conger continues to produce at an inconsistent clip, and of late, the Astros are becoming overly reliant on 20-year-old phenom Carlos Correa.
PROP TALK
Andre Ethier is making it difficult for manager Don Mattingly to take him out of the lineup. The sweet-swinging lefty is in a groove and has been the only consistent hitter in the Dodgers lineup for the last few weeks. Ethier is batting .349 in the month of August and .309 since the All-Star break. He gets the nod against right-handers and owns a .299 average off them this season with all 12 of his homers.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
McCullers has been unhittable and unbeatable at Minute Maid Park this season, but that was before the Rangers swatted him back to Double-A. Astros management made a wise move in bringing him back for a home game, and against the Dodgers, who have their difficulties winning on the road. LA added another veteran presence to their club trading for Chase Utley, who looked rejuvenated when he returned to the Phillies lineup for a brief moment before the deal. His addition can’t hurt the lineup and he may be the spark the Dodgers need.
Los Angeles 3, Houston 1
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Houston Astros will commence Sunday, August 23, 2015, at 2:10 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TBS.
