At sea level, a Mile High and on either side of the Pacific Ocean, Kenta Maeda can pitch. The Marlins get their first look at the Japanese import when they conclude a four-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
Marlins manager Don Mattingly knows it will be strange sitting in the visitors’ dugout at Dodger Stadium this week. He also understands how difficult a challenge his new team faces against his old one. In five seasons as the Dodgers skipper, Mattingly won 446 games and became the only person in the history of the franchise to manage a club to three consecutive division titles. Yet, Mattingly and the Dodgers agreed to mutually part ways on Oct. 22, though no real reason for the split was ever given.
L.A. remains a favorite in the NL West under new manager Dave Roberts and concluded a six-game road trip with a ninth-inning comeback win at Colorado on Sunday. Under Mattingly the Dodgers were always a strong home team and that trend has continued. LA has is 4-2 at Chavez Ravine up 1.59 units on the moneyline.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Jose Fernandez (1-2, 4.37 ERA) suffered his second loss of the season Saturday in San Francisco, allowing four runs on three walks and seven hits in six innings. He fanned five. The road remains rough for Fernandez, who fell to 5-10 with a 3.81 ERA away from Marlins Park.
Fernandez still has dynamic stuff but his command has been uncharacteristically poor in 2016. He surrenders nearly 4.5 walks per nine innings and issued at least three free passes in each of his last three starts. One of his five career road wins came at Dodger Stadium as a rookie in 2013. Overall, he’s 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA against LA with 32 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
Kenta Maeda (3-0, 0.36 ERA) was brilliant in his first start at Coors Field, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before settling for 6.1 shutout innings and his third win of the season on Saturday. With his early success, many wanted to see how Maeda would handle a volatile pitching environment. He didn’t disappoint. The righty fanned a season-high eight and allowed just three hits.
Perhaps the most impressive part of his outing came when he retired Nolan Arenado and Gerardo Parra with the bases loaded to preserve the shutout. Opponents are hitting just .189 off Maeda, who carries a 0.87 WHIP and 0.36 ERA into Thursday’s start.
LIVE BETTING
Just when we thought the career of Chase Utley was coming to an end, the veteran second baseman is having a revival this season in Los Angeles. And he’s done it batting leadoff, no less. Prior to this season, Utley had made 11 starts batting leadoff in his first 13 big league seasons. Utley has started 15 times hitting at the top of the order and is hitting .324 with 22 hits in 68 at-bats.
Overall, Utley enters the week batting .319 with six doubles, two triples, five RBIs and a team-leading 10 runs scored. On Sunday in Denver, Utley drove in the go-ahead run in L.A. five-run ninth inning to beat the Rockies 12-10, extending his hitting streak to seven games. Utley was hampered by injuries for much of the past five seasons, but he’s healthy now and contributing in a bit way to the Dodgers offense.
QUICK PICK
Zack who? Many predicted the Dodgers would fall back to the pack when Zack Greinke departed for Arizona during the offseason. But the Dodgers countered by bringing in Maeda, who has been spectacular in his first four starts. It’s safe to assume the early-season success won’t last and Maeda will be dropped a peg or two. He survived the Coors Field test Saturday, holding the Rockies hitless through 5.1 frames and left an inning later with his scoreless outing intact.
The Marlins have their own ace throwing against Maeda but Fernandez has been just average on the road during his brief career. His splits are alarming considering the stuff he has. The Dodgers are always tough at home and Maeda looks like he’s the real deal.
MLB Odds: Los Angeles 3, Miami 2
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