The teams will be hard-pressed to match last night’s 24 combined runs, with a pair of solid right-handers facing off.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles may have finally broken out of its offensive slump, scoring a combined 23 runs in the last two games, including 15 in a Tuesday night victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. “We hope to give the pitching staff a little confidence and let them know their offense is clicking,” outfielder Andre Ethier said. “At the same time, it gives us a little confidence.” The team averaged just 2.5 runs in its first 23 games after the All-Star break before this two-game outburst. The Dodgers are still just 3-10 at Citizens Bank Park since 2008, which includes five postseason games. The club is a dismal 2-8 as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season (-520) and the total in those games is 4-6 O/U. Los Angeles has won five of its last six games against the NL East, but still stand at 11-13 versus the division this year.
Continue reading “Wednesday MLB Preview – Dodgers at Phillies”
Los Angeles has fallen 4.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race after last night’s 6-5 road defeat against the Giants at AT&T Park. “I don’t know if we were playing a little soft earlier, but tonight I liked the way we fought back,” said catcher Russell Martin. The club is 5-10 since the All-Star break and has managed to score just 35 runs in that span. Don’t expect things to improve offensively this afternoon, as the Dodgers are averaging just 3.3 runs and hitting for a combined average during the day, leading to a 13-14 daytime record (-290). Outfielder Matt Kemp is the only Dodger with a batting average over .290 in the second half of the season. The Dodgers are not only 4.5 games behind the second-place Giants in the division, they are now seven games out of first place. The starting rotation has done its best to give the club an opportunity to win, posting a 1.54 ERA over the last 13 games, which is the lowest mark in Major League Baseball. Los Angeles is 14-18 against southpaw starters (-930) this season and the total is 17-15 O/U in those contests.
