An epidemic has seemed to be cast over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They're finding ways to lose games left and right which should be won, and as a result, they've dropped back to just 67-52 and suddenly have a real chance of not making the playoffs. The Houston Astros are the antithesis right now of the Dodgers, and they will hope to improve their 65-55 mark on TBS Sunday.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Poor Clayton Kershaw. The guy absolutely cannot catch a break this year. He has led the Dodgers to a 13-11 mark in his 24 starts this year, but the team should be doing much better than that with his number. There are four instances just since June 27 in which the lefty allowed either one earned run or no earned runs, yet the Dodgers lost anyway.
Another one of those situations came up on Tuesday night, as Kershaw allowed five hits and one run over seven innings before the bullpen imploded yet again.
To his credit, Kershaw has allowed one earned run or fewer in eight of his last nine starts, so live bettors can certainly count on him to continue to be amazing.
Even though Scott Feldman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in five consecutive starts, live bettors won't want any part of him until Kershaw is out of the way. The righty can be good, but he allows far too much contact and has gotten fortunate that his BABIP against is just .261.
Even when hits are dropping, Feldman seems to be getting around things. He scattered nine hits against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, but we know if he does that again in this one, he's probably going to get into some trouble.
ADVANCED STATS
Success in high leverage situations has become a staple of the Astros this year. They're batting .293 as a team in high leverage spots, including grounding into just 13 double plays in 304 at bats.
The only concern we have with the Astros is their strikeout rate. They are fanning 24.2 percent of the time in high leverage spots, though it honestly makes some sense. Houston's strikeout rate in all situations of 23.5 percent is second-worst in the game behind the Cubs.
TALKING BULLPENS
This is where live betting is really going to come into play, though. When Kershaw is at the end of his rope, perhaps in the seventh inning or so, it might be worthwhile to take a flier on the Astros so long as they are within reasonable striking distance.
Yes, the Dodgers are tenth in the majors in bullpen WAR at 3.1, but a lot of that was accomplished in the first half of the season.
Thus far in August, ever since picking up Jim Johnson at the trading deadline, things have gone south for the Dodgers. They have a 5.48 bullpen ERA, and their home run to fly ball ratio is a ridiculous 19.5 percent.
The pro in all of this is a 10.76 K/9 since August 1, but that's nothing new for a bullpen which has five players who regularly post K/9s of at least 9.00, including Kenley Jansen, who strikes out the side a ton when he is in save situations.
So on one hand, when the Dodger bullpen is involved, expect a lot of strikeouts. But expect a lot of contact as well, and live bettors should know that's a huge advantage to the hosting Astros.
The baseball betting odds for this game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers and adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in, and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros will start at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 24, 2015 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX. The matchup will be televised nationally on TBS.
