UPDATE: Corey Knebel, not Julio Urias, will start Game 5 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's possible that Urias will be on the mound at some point in the game, but he will not start as previously expected.
Corey Knebel will start Game 5 tonight.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 14, 2021
What follows is the initial betting preview for Game 5.
You could have asked me back in August how the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers season was going to end and I would’ve said “against each other in Game 5 of the NLDS.”
This was destined to be the case, as the top teams with the best record in baseball have been battling it out in the NL West for the entirety of the 2021 season. Now, one of those two teams will have their season come to an end as they head to San Francisco for one last duel.
Dodgers-Giants Game 5 will be the...
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 13, 2021
- 5th winner-take-all postseason game between 100-win teams in MLB history
- 5th winner-take-all postseason game between teams that had the top two records in MLB in the divisional era (since 1969) pic.twitter.com/TqjM0rBSeN
The Dodgers won Game 4 in dominant fashion, taking down the Giants 7-2 in Los Angeles.
Let’s take a look at the odds for the only Game 5 of the round, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
Dodgers vs. Giants Odds and Total
Moneyline
Dodgers -105
Giants -105
Run line
Dodgers -1.5 (+165)
Giants +1.5 (-185)
Total
7 (Over +100/Under -130)
Dodgers vs. Giants Prediction
As fitting as it is that these two team’s season will come down to a win-or-go-home game in the NLDS, it’s just as fitting that the odds for the game are set as a pick’em. While the Giants finished with the best record in baseball and have won 12 of the 21 meetings between the two teams this season, I’m inclined to back the Dodgers at -105.
The Dodgers averaged the most runs per game in the National League this season at 5.08 and they also had the best team earned run average at 2.98. The Giants, admittedly, are right behind them in both categories, but Los Angeles will have the edge in experience in this game as well.
No team in the Majors has had more playoff experience than the Dodgers the past few seasons, and I expect that to play a big role in Thursday night's big game.
Pick: Dodgers -105
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