Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.21 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (37-28) square off against Wandy Rodriguez (3-2, 3.03 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (35-30) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the first of a two-game series at Dodger Stadium. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jun. 17 and can be seen on FSN-SW and SportsNet LA.
Kershaw pitched 6.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out 11 and walking three in a 4-3 defeat to the Padres. Justin Turner (.319, 20 Rs, 6 HRs, 26 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Rodriguez is 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA against the Dodgers in his career. He takes on a quality Los Angeles offense that’s batting .257. Prince Fielder (.341, 32 Rs, 10 HRs, 46 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Los Angeles, a substantial -275 favorite, takes on Texas. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently six runs. The Dodgers have an overall money line of -7 and a record as the favorite of 33-24. In interleague play, they have had a solid season, earning 2-1 and 3-1 records as the favorite and SU respectively. The Dodgers have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the NL in offense with 4.4 runs per game. The Dodgers are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 204. Los Angeles leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 3.6 per game. Los Angeles’s pitchers fall apart when American League teams are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 4.0 against AL teams, compared to its 3.5 season average. The Dodgers are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.19 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Dodgers, who rank second in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.6.
In games where it is the underdog, Texas has a 29-26 record and an overall money line of +1,427. Texas has put in a great performance against National League opponents, coming in with a nice record SU ({betdsi.at.nl.su_record}) and as the underdog (2-1). Offensively, the Rangers have really picked up the pace in interleague games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.6 runs per game by averaging 5.3 in those contests. The Rangers allow 4.4 runs per game, but does better whenever an NL opponent is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average down to 3.3 against teams from the NL.
The Rangers have the edge in the season series, 2-0. The Dodgers have a bad 3-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Rodriguez takes the mound. Kershaw (LHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 10-12 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Los Angeles is 15-11, while Texas is 13-15.
The Dodgers are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The Rangers have a record of 5-2 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Dodgers, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Dodgers have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 26-6. The Rangers have a 27-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 10th, Los Angeles is in the top 10 of the league in runs, scoring 281 this season. Texas ranks in the top five at second with 296.
Ranking ninth, Texas is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 203 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 233.
When the Dodgers hit at least one home run, they are 31-16, well-matched with the Rangers who are 26-13 when hitting one or more homers.
