Although this week’s Los Angeles vs Milwaukee series was supposed to be tight as a battle of first place teams, it’s been the West Coasters that have been dominant heading into the August 14th Dodgers at Brewers betting matchup. L.A. has taken the first two games 5-2 and 7-2 and can already clinch a series win in this four game set with a victory on Wednesday night.
Milwaukee (67-52) has now dropped three in a row but they’re forgiven for being a bit complacent as they hold a 7.5 game lead in the NL Central. The Dodgers (71-49) meanwhile are trying to fend off the red hot Padres and Diamondbacks, who are both 15 games over .500 on the season. Despite L.A’s dominance in the first two meetings, they are just -120 favorites for game three.
Why the Dodgers Have Value on Wednesday
Los Angeles cashed out at -113 on Monday and -107 on Tuesday, so the jump to -120 for Wednesday’s game still isn’t bad considering they’ve won the first two games of the series by a combined 12-4 tally. Los Angeles has now won five in a row and 8 of their last 10 while the Brewers have dropped three in a row.
Los Angeles had the bats working on Tuesday, belting out five HRs and plating five runs in the top of the 5th alone. Shohei Ohtani hit his 37th of the season while Gavin Lux, Andy Pages, and Will Smith also added deep shots. Ohtani also had a HR in Monday’s win while Mookie Betts went deep in his return from the IL in the series opener as well.
The Brewers have scored just 2 runs in each of the first two games of this series following solid outings from Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone. The Dodgers haven’t officially named a starter for Wednesday’s game, but there are rumors that Walker Buehler could make his return after missing time with a hip injury. Buehler will likely be on a pitch count if he does get the nod.
Why the Brewers Have Value on Wednesday
If Milwaukee gets a rusty Buehler they should be able to have a little more success at the plate than the last two games. The Dodgers pitcher didn’t look like himself even before going to the IL, allowing 3+ ER in all but two of his eight starts while posting a 5.84 ERA on the season.
The Brewers offense has gone into the gutter a bit as they’ve been held to a total of 8 runs over their last four games. It wasn’t always like that though as Milwaukee plated 42 runs over a four game win streak last week. William Contreras is hitting .321 with 3 HRS over the past week while Willy Adames has 4HR over his last 8 games.
Frankie Montas (5-8, 5.10 ERA) will try to keep the Dodgers offense at bay when he takes the ball on Wednesday. Montas is making his first home start after being traded from the Reds, and he’s allowed 6ER over 9.0 IP in his first two starts with Milwaukee.
Free August 14th Dodgers at Brewers Betting Pick
72% of the betting public is on Los Angeles in this spot and they’ve looked good during their five game win streak. The Dodgers have reinforcements back with Betts and now Buehler returning. Buehler is an unknown though, and Montas has also been a bit shaky since his trade to Milwaukee. The way to go here seems like on a high scoring game.
Free Pick: Over 9
