2021 MLB National League Division Series Game 5 Primer: Betting Preview, Odds and Pick
This series had to go five games.
Two bitter rivals meeting for the first time in postseason play. The Giants led baseball with 107 wins, the Dodgers finished second with 106. Oh, and the Dodgers just happen to be the defending World Series champions.
Yes, five games is EXACTLY what baseball fans needed from this potentially epic National League Division Series.
Here's the information you need to know before placing your wagers for Game 5, with all odds courtesy of SI Sportsbook.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
DODGERS AT GIANTS
Dodgers starting pitcher: LHP Julio Urías (20-3, 2.96 ERA regular season; 1-0, 1.80 ERA postseason)
Giants starting pitcher: RHP Logan Webb (11-3, 3.03 ERA regular season; 1-0, 0.00 ERA postseason)
Series: 2-2
Location: Oracle Park
Time: 9:07 p.m. ET
Network: TBS
Moneyline: Dodgers (-110); Giants (-110)
Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+165); Giants +1.5 (-200)
Dodgers run line record: 85-82
Giants run line record: 100-66
Over/under: 7 (O +100; U -118)
Dodgers over/under: 73-84-10
Giants over/under: 76-85-5
Game 5 features a fantastic pitching matchup between two young starters who have already produced fantastic outings in this series.
Giants righty Logan Webb dominated the Dodgers in Game 1, striking out 10 batters over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just five hits while outdueling Walker Buehler.
Webb owned a career 5.36 ERA coming into this season but enjoyed a fantastic breakout campaign. Ending the Dodgers' hopes of a repeat would be the cherry on top.
The righty also fared well against the Dodgers in the regular season, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts. He's held Los Angeles to two runs or less in each of his four starts (postseason included), while lasting at least five innings in each start.
The Dodgers are countering with 20-game winner, and Game 2 winning pitcher, Julio Urías. The southpaw limited the Giants to one run on three hits in five innings in Game 2, and went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts against San Francisco in the regular season.
Urías has enjoyed strong success against the Giants in his career, posting a 2.61 ERA in 20 appearances (14 starts). He held San Francisco to a .267/.286/.397 slash line this year, although Buster Posey, Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater and Donovan Solano hit him well.
The Dodgers have outscored the Giants in the series, 16-9, despite being blanked in Games 1 and 3. That odd-game trend could be bad for Dodgers backers heading into Game 5, although the Giants are an even-year team. San Francisco has not topped four runs in any game this series, and has scored just five runs in the last three games.
This is not an easy game to wager on since there are so many different statistics that can pull you in each direction and set up a head vs. heart battle.
The Giants' roster shouldn't have won 107 games, yet it did. The Dodgers, on paper, are better. The Giants are seemingly overachievers, yet they have the defending champions at home in an elimination game. However, they're facing a pitcher they struggle against. Then again, Webb carved up the Dodgers earlier this series.
You could go on and on for hours.
Sifting through it all, the true key may be that the Dodgers have better talent and Urias has more of a track record than Webb. The Giants are not scoring, while Los Angeles can explode on any given night. The Dodgers also have more postseason experience since some of these Giants are getting their first taste this year.
Expect a close game, but the play is to bet on a Dodgers-Braves NLCS rematch.
THE PICK: Dodgers moneyline, Dodgers run line and the under.
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