Published Jun 8, 8:30pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 8, 8:30pm ET
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Updated Jun 8, 8:30pm ET
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| Pittsburgh Pirates | +100 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -110 |
Given their pitching injuries, notably to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, LA needed another arm and brought in veteran lefty Eric Lauer. He's made two starts since joining the Dodgers and has thrown 10.2 innings, allowed 9 hits, 3 earned runs, walked 2 and struck out 5. This comes after he accrued a 6.69 ERA in 8 appearances with the Blue Jays.
It's not as if Lauer's effectiveness comes from nowhere. Last season, he was 9-2 with a 2.3 bWAR for the AL champion Blue Jays.
The Dodgers have opened up a 7.5-game lead in the NL West as they go for their third straight World Series title.
At the plate, Shohei Ohtani is getting hot. His .939 OPS leads the National League. Kyle Tucker continues to struggle with a .236 average and a .716 OPS. Andy Pages leads MLB position players in bWAR at 3.8. Mookie Betts is batting .183.
Against Paul Skenes, Ohtani is 2 for 11 with a home run. Pages is 4 for 6 with 2 doubles and a home run. Tucker is 2 for 5 with a double and a home run. Freddie Freeman is 2 for 12 with a double.
Paul Skenes is acknowledged as perhaps the best pitcher in baseball. But he's looked human lately. In his last four starts, he's allowed 13 earned runs in 19.2 innings. That shaky run comes on the heels of 8 shutout innings, 2 hits allowed with no walks and 10 K's against the Rockies.
Overall, he has a 1.5 bWAR, a 3.09 ERA, and a 6-5 record in 13 starts. In 70 innings, he's allowed 51 hits and 24 earned runs, walking 13 and striking out 82.
Brandon Lowe has 15 homers and an .858 OPS. Spencer Horwitz is quietly having an excellent season with an .846 OPS and 8 homers. Nick Gonzales is batting .309. Bryan Reynolds has an .805 POPS. Oneil Cruz has an .822 OPS with 14 homers and 21 stolen bases in 25 attempts.
For the Pirates against Lauer, Lowe is 1 for 4 with a home run. Marcell Ozuna is 6 for 11 with 3 homers. Reynolds is 5 for 20 with a double. Cruze is 1 for 2 with a single. Ryan O'Hearn is 1 for 2 with a double.
While this might look like a pitching mismatch on the surface, Lauer has been excellent in his two starts as a Dodger and Skenes has struggled lately. Besides that, the Dodgers have a top-to-bottom lineup that can hit the ball out of the park.
LA will score enough behind Lauer to build up a lead over Skenes and the Pirates and will take the win on the road.
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Pick
Los Angeles Dodgers -110
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