If Game 5 of the NLDS between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers is anywhere near as good as the Game 5s we saw on Wednesday, MLB bettors are in for a real treat.
PITCHING MATCHUP
In a postseason full of curious decisions by virtually all of the managers involved, one of the more puzzling choices came in Game 4 of this series when Jacob deGrom was spotted in the bullpen. He didn't come out and pitch in the game, nor was he up for all that long, so the argument could be made that it was just a routine day of throwing on the side for the righty. However, live bettors will certainly have to read into that just a little bit before he takes the ball on Thursday night for the biggest game of his career.
To deGrom's credit, he was a beast in Game 1 of this series against Dodger Clayton Kershaw. He threw seven frames of shutout ball, striking out 13, including each of the first six batters that he faced. deGrom can go on these tears in which he is just unhittable, and live bettors will want to make sure they are on the right side of those great moments.
The big problem deGrom faces in this game is the prospect of going against Zack Greinke. All Greinke did was allow five hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts. Sure, he allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers, but when the rubber met the road and he really needed to get some big outs, he did just that.
ADVANCED STATS
When you look at what the Mets have done in this series, you have to be impressed. This isn't a great team, but what it is would be known as clutch. Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes are coming up with the biggest hits of their lives at the best times to be doing so. Both men are slugging well over .500 in the playoffs, and both have OPS marks over 1.000 in the four games in the playoffs.
Greinke doesn't have a history of giving up a lot of rallies, but live bettors should be aware that the home run ball has been a problem to him. Considering the fact that Cespedes already has two dingers in this series and Granderson has the ability to turn a ball over in the opposite field in a hurry, the top of the Mets order could provide some problems.
Runs will be few and far between in this game, so just the prospects of Granderson and Cespedes coming to the plate must have live bettors ready to pounce.
TALKING BULLPENS
Though obviously, virtually everyone is available for this game, the most interesting prospect would be Kershaw. Don Mattingly not only knows that this game is for the season, but it's for his job in all likelihood, too. Would he dare make the mistake of throwing Kershaw on a day of rest immediately after he threw seven innings on three days of rest? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the one thing we know is when that call to the bullpen is made to get Greinke out of this one, we want no part of the Dodgers unless it's Kenley Jansen coming in to close this series out.
The baseball betting odds for this game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Los Angeles Dodgers were favored at -158 along with a total of 6. 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! Game 5 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets will start at 8:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 15, 2015 at Dodger Stadium. The matchup will be televised nationally on TBS.
