Los Angeles Dodgers have passed the New York Mets for the National League’s best record (27-13), winning eight straight games prior to a loss Sunday. Offensively, they’ve been clicking, though silenced a bit in that 4-3 loss in Philadelphia to the Phillies.
It’s still early, but the Dodgers figure\ to walk into the playoffs despite playing in one of the most competitive divisions in the sport.
Freddie Freeman’s .301 batting average leads the team, showing why LA worked so hard to pry him away from the reigning World Series-champion Atlanta Braves in the offseason.
Mookie Betts also recently reached double-digit home runs, and is the team’s outright slugger, a role which he has filled very well thus far. Los Angeles is usually favored in MLB odds, and if the offense continues humming and complementing the defense, they will be just fine.
Tyler Anderson (4-0, 4.04 ERA) starts for the Dodgers in the first in this three-game series.
A National State of Emergency
Washington Nationals are struggling across the board. They are 14-28 overall and just 5-15 at home. They’ve lost 12 of their last 17 games. They defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-2, in their last game.
Josh Bell continues to be the best player on a less-than-ideal offense, posting a .291 average.
Juan Soto is still in the early MVP running, but hasn’t played as well as he did last season. That’s hurt, as the team needs an outright superstar to carry it to victory. That’s a lot to ask for someone working with this subpar supporting cast.
Joan Adon (1-7, 6.38 ERA) start for Washington after one of his best starts of the season, allowing just one earned run in 4.2 innings against the Miami Marlins.
Dodgers vs Nationals Head-to-Head
It’s the teams’ first meeting of the season Monday night.
LA took all seven encounters last season, ultimately acquiring Max Scherzer and Trea Turner-a pair of Washington’s top performers-at the trade deadline.
Make no mistake about it, the MLB odds heavily favor the Dodgers against the Nationals.
LA has nearly every factor working to its advantage, including a recent history, total record, offensive power, pitching, defensive integrity, experience, managing and everything else that defines the sport.
If Washington is going to get a single win in this series-much less a series win-there is going to need to be a sighting of Soto, plus some impactful innings from members of the bullpen. Many Washington fans would like to still think this is possible, but the best bet is to ride with the Dodgers.
Those looking to bet online can find MLB lines and more on the BETUS sportsbook.
Ryan Knuppel has been writing about sports & sports betting topics online for over 15 years. He was a college basketball All-American in the early 2000's and has always had a deep understanding for sports. Ryan was the 2011 Buffalo Wild Wings National "Pickem" Winner which earned him a trip to play flag football with Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. He was also a 2015 FanDuel.com Playboy Mansion NBA Championships Qualifier in daily fantasy sports. But his true claim to fame is the fact that he has played basketball with and against THE Michael Jordan numerous times in his life. Ryan is excited to be writing and covering sports here and would love to hear from you on social media.
