In the third of a four-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers (47-38) and the Philadelphia Phillies (47-38) at Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw (5-6, 3.08 ERA) and Adam Morgan (1-1, 2.13 ERA) get the ball. The Phillies won the last game 7-2 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and will air on CSN-PHI and SportsNet LA.
Kershaw is 2-4 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.11 WHIP against the Phillies in his career. Yasmani Grandal (.277, 32 Rs, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. The Phillies were unsuccessful to the Braves 2-1 the last time Morgan pitched. He went 7.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out five and walking two. Maikel Franco (.296, 30 Rs, 10 HRs, 34 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Los Angeles is a considerable -358 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Dodgers have a 41-34 record and overall money line at -842. The Dodgers come into the game with the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the NL, averaging 4.2 runs per game. The Dodgers are a dangerous hitting team with 267 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. They have been very patient at the plate, leading the NL with an average of 3.6 walks per game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Dodgers rank third in the NL in ERA with a 3.29 team average. The Dodgers don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking second in the NL with only 8.1 hits allowed per game.
Across the field, the Phillies have a subpar record of 25-51 when they are the underdog and are -2,068 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 2-8 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 2-7 record. Philadelphia has been playing better lately, averaging 4.6 runs per game, more than their season average of 3.4.
The Dodgers will take on a left-hander (Morgan) in this game. They have done very poorly against left-handed starting pitchers this season (4-9), especially at home where they have a 2-5 record. Taking the hill against the Phillies will be the left-hander Kershaw. Southpaw starters have been a big issue for them as they sport records of 2-8 on the road and 5-12 overall.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Under
Notes
When the Dodgers play into extra innings, they have a 4-3 record. The Phillies are 3-5 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Phillies are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Dodgers have a 6-10 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Phillies are 19-9. The Dodgers have a 33-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 27th, Philadelphia sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 299 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top half at 11th with 357.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 303 this season. Philadelphia ranks near the bottom at 26th with 200.
When the Dodgers hit at least one home run, they are 37-24. When the Phillies hit at least one homer, they have a 17-24 record.
