Dodgers vs. Giants MLB Odds, Picks, Predictions: How to Bet L.A. in Sunday Night Baseball (Sept. 18)

Dodgers vs. Giants Odds

The Los Angeles Dodgers' historically strong campaign rolled on Saturday night in a game that saw them reach the 100-win mark with 18 games to go and Julio Urias find his 17th win in 2022 behind six strong innings,

Andrew Heaney will take the mound Sunday for the Dodgers who look to avoid a let-down spot on Sunday Night Baseball in a matchup against Alex Cobb and the rival San Francisco Giants.

Cobb has suffered through some tough luck at times this season — he is likely better than his overall ERA of 3.48 suggests — but has been consistently dominated by the Dodgers. Will he find better results Sunday night? Let's dive into how to bet tonight's baseball nightcap.

Will the Start Dodgers Ramping Down?

There is arguably no one in baseball who understand just how difficult it is to face this Dodgers lineup than Alex Cobb — a notably strong starter who had his numbers gashed by L.A. time and again.

Cobb has 5.75 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers this season, with a sky-high WHIP of 1.72, compared to his season-long average of 1.27. The Dodgers have remained in tremendous form of late, with a wRC+ of 130 over the last 14 days, and a wOBA of .352.

It's likely a key Dodgers starter or two sits out this Sunday matchup considering their position heading into the postseason; lineup confirmation will be important from a handicapping/fantasy perspective for this contest.

Dodgers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney has put together a strong season himself. While I don't think anybody is going to argue Heaney is as dominant as his 2.84 ERA suggests, he could fare better than we have seen of late with his elite K/BB ratio. Heaney holds a spectacular K/9 rate of 13.26 on the season, and has held true to that mark of late.

It's rare to see a starter with a solid walk-rate and such an elite strikeout rate allow as many runs as we have recently seen from Heaney, and a matchup against the Giants could be somewhat of a buy-low spot.

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Giants Searching for Answers on Offense

Including a massive performance against Heaney on Sept. 5, the Giants hit to far better marks when facing left-handed pitching in each of the previous two seasons.

The Giants need that trend to hold true Sunday, as the offense has scuffled quite notably down the stretch this season, including a paltry wRC+ of just 71 over the last 14 days.

Last year, the Giants' aging core seemed to turn back the clock, putting together an elite season that few predicted, with seemingly everything going right.

It's been the exact opposite storyline in 2022, as a number of key pieces have regressed, as well as notable pieces consistently sidelined due to injury. At this point in the campaign, it feels Gabe Kapler's side is simply counting the days until the misery ends.

Cobb has been one of the high points on the Giants roster, pitching to an ERA of 3.48, albeit one that has been notably unlucky compared to his xFIP of 2.84 and an xERA of 3.09.

Cobb has suffered through a ton of poor fielding all season long, and after being embarrassed in each of the last nights one would think the Giants would certainly love to show some pride and put together a surprisingly sharp contest Sunday for their veteran starter.

Dodgers-Giants Pick

Fading L.A. against their division rival Giants has been a horrible strategy this season, something I have personally experienced first hand on a number of occasions. The Dodgers have absolutely owned the Giants this year, at 14-4 with a +46 run differential.

While I know that record and differential isn't necessarily an indicator of future outcomes, it seems the incredibly dominant Dodgers have taken personal pride in beating on  rival all season long.

The Dodgers have covered the run-line in 14-of-18 contests against the Giants this season, and I believe there is a strong chance we see that same outcome yet again pending a reasonable Dodgers lineup.

Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-110)