The best teams in baseball last season are at it again with head-to-head matchups likely playing a role in which one wins the division. The San Francisco Giants won 10 of 19 regular season games last year to claim the NL West by a game over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The two played an epic NLDS with the Dodgers winning the series 3-2. The teams meet for the first time this year on Tuesday night with San Francisco’s Carlos Rodon going up against Julio Urias in a battle of lefties. LA closed the week with a half game lead over the Giants, who dropped two of three to Washington over the weekend.
Giants vs Dodgers Date & Time
This NL West matchup takes place on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 7:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium. The game will air live on TBS.
Giants vs Dodgers Odds
San Francisco Giants +122 | Los Angeles Dodgers -135 [BET NOW]
Over/Under: 7o -115/-105 [BET NOW]
Season So Far
It’s always been a bitter rivalry with things being upped a notch last season. The clubs met in the postseason for the first time and it didn’t disappoint with LA earning a 2-1 win in San Francisco to clinch the series while getting revenge for having their streak of eight straight NL West titles snapped. The Giants went 10-9 against LA last season winning the division with 107 wins to the Dodgers 106. After three weeks of the 2022 season both teams are up in the standings again. However, the Giants dropped two of their last three games with their pitching staff giving up 28 run and 45 hits in 27 innings.
Going back a little further the Giants have dropped three of their last four games with a 1-0 setback to the Oakland A’s starting the skid. Every team goes through ups and downs over the course of a long season and it could be that the Giants are experiencing that. Several players out of the lineup due to injuries and COVID didn’t help. They played the Washington series without LaMonte Wade, Evan Longoria, Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Belt among others. Pitching was the problem allowing the OVER to cash in all three games with the Nats and in four of five overall.
We expected the Dodgers to be here and they haven’t disappointed. They responded to a pair of losses in Arizona by winning two of three against the Tigers over the weekend improving to 14-7. They closed the week tied for the fewest losses in the NL, though the Mets have two more wins to sport the better record. Offensively the Dodgers have been as anticipated leading MLB averaging 5.0 runs. And they’ve been consistent scoring at least five runs 12 times.
We weren’t so sure about the pitching staff coming into the season, but that group has been equally good. The Dodgers also boast the lowest staff ERA at 2.33, nearly a half run lower than the Yankees allowing the Dodgers to cash the UNDER in 14 of their 21 games. Excellent pitching and solid hitting is a lethal combination and LA has it.
Probable Pitchers
A top prospect with the White Sox, things never worked out for Carlos Rodon (3-0, 1.17 ERA) on the South Side. Injuries limited him, but the lefty showed signs last season going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings. And he’s thrives in his first season in San Francisco. Rodon has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball going at least 5.0 innings in all four starts while not allowing more than three hits or one run in any of them. He’s allowed just 11 hits in 23.0 innings for a 0.83 WHIP with opponents hitting just .141 against him. And he’s yet to allow a home run. Since the start of last season he’s 16-5 with a 2.20 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while averaging 12.9 Ks per 9 innings.
Julio Urias (1-1, 2.50 ERA) is another blue chip prospect that developed with the team that initially signed him. And he’s been an anchor on the best staff in baseball. He struggled in his first outing but he’s been lights out since going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his last three starts. He allowed just one hit and one run against Arizona last time out taking a ND after tossing a season high 81 pitches. Urias faced the Giants twice in the NLDS allowing six hits and two runs over 9.0 innings. He got the win in Game 2 and kept SF in check in Game 5 with 4.0 innings of relief. His 14 starts and 20 appearances against the Giants are the most against any opponent. Urias is 2-3 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 76 innings in those games.
Giants vs Dodgers Predictions
Two tough lefties has the UNDER looking good in this matchup. Even if the starters don’t go very long the bullpens are among the best in baseball. Rodon’s first foray into the NL has been hugely successful, though I can see the Dodgers scratching out some hits and scoring a few more runs than SF. He’s good but he’s hittable, and LA will get to Rodon for the payout victory.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers and UNDER
