Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Two of the best teams in baseball continue their three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Philadelphia Phillies.

LA escaped with a narrow 5-3 win in the series opener behind an excellent outing from Tyler Glasnow, putting them 1-0 up in the series.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers betting picks and predictions

Phillies ML (-105)

The Philadelphia lineup was limited by Tyler Glasnow for the majority of game one and Dave Roberts utilized his high-leverage relievers to close out the game.

Given Glasnow has been phenomenal all season, it wasn’t too surprising to see him put in another dominant performance. The same can’t be said for Los Angeles’s Clayton Kershaw, who signed a new deal in the offseason to come back and continue his illustrious Dodger career at age 36.

Kershaw missed the first few months of the season due to shoulder surgery. The southpaw made a few rehab starts and was rushed back to the Dodgers rotation that was plagued with injuries.

It’s starting to seem like Los Angeles may have brought Kershaw back too soon since he has struggled in his two outings. He has allowed nine runs, 12 hits, and three walks in 7.2 innings against the Giants and Padres.

More concerningly, he has allowed a .299 xBA and a .411 xSLG which are abnormally high for the veteran lefty.

Tonight's starter for Philly, Cristopher Sanchez, has been an unsung hero for the Phillies in 2024. The lefty earned his first All-Star nod amid a breakout season in which he posted a 2.96 ERA in the first half of the campaign.

His final start before the All-Star break was against the Dodgers in Philadelphia, and Sanchez threw a gem. He allowed just two runs and five hits while striking out five in six innings of work.

Sanchez earned the win in that start and he’s looking to do the same thing in Southern California. In this battle of southpaws, the advantage goes to the Phillies.

Philadelphia has been crushing left-handed pitching all season and ranks sixth in wRC+ against lefty pitchers since June 1. At a near-even price, side with the Phillies to bounce back after the game one loss.

Over 8.5 total (+100)

It’s a little surprising to see the game total set so low. These are two of the most efficient offenses in baseball and both starters have been struggling in the last few weeks.

Starting with Kershaw, he hasn’t had the same swing-and-miss stuff that we’ve been accustomed to seeing. He even failed to record a strikeout in his last outing against the Padres which was very unusual for him.

His velocity has started to fall and his curveball doesn’t seem to have the same bite which has made it a lot easier for hitters. Plus, only 37 percent of balls put in play against him have been on the ground so far.

Kershaw has always had an above-average ground-ball rate because of his slider and curveball, but there’s been a lot more fly balls than ground balls in his first two outings of the season.

Sanchez had a phenomenal April, May, and June. He posted a sub-4 ERA in all three months which earned him a trip to Arlington for the All-Star Game.

However, he started to falter in July. The lefty may have been getting tired and overused considering he had a 6.59 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in five starts last month.

He allowed seven or more hits in four of his last five starts which is slightly worrisome since he’s facing the star-studded Dodgers lineup.

The Phillies should be able to give Sanchez the run support he needs, but the Dodgers should also likely get to him. Expect a high-scoring game at Dodger Stadium.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers odds

Philadelphia Phillies	-105 ML
Los Angeles Dodgers	-115 ML
Run Line	Dodgers -1.5
Total	O/U 8.5

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers player props

Player Home Run odds

Kyle Schwarber (PHI)	+300
Bryce Harper (PHI)	+350
Trea Turner (PHI)	+450
Shohei Ohtani (LAD)	+450
Teoscar Hernandez (LAD)	+425
Will Smith (LAD)	+550

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.