The Braves handed the Dodgers their worst defeat in three years on Sunday afternoon and now look to capture the series at Turner Field.
Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles suffered a 13-1 blowout defeat in Sunday’s contest against the Braves at Turner Field and have lost 13 of 16 on the road. “We had opportunities, couldn’t get the big hit, nothing you can do about it,” manager Joe Torre said. The loss was the largest margin of defeat this year, as the team is without regulars Casey Blake, Jamey Carroll, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin. The three runs the Dodgers have scored in the last two games have come on outs, as they are 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the series. Los Angeles has posted a 6-5 record after allowing 10 or more runs in a game this season (-90) and are 9-17 in this situation the last three years (-1,340). The club is a disappointing 4-10 as a road underdog of +125 to +150 and the total is 5-9 O/U in those contests. As this series ends, Los Angeles is assured of returning home without consecutive second-half road wins, as they last accomplished this feat on July 3-4 in Arizona.
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.
Los Angeles has lost nine of its last 10 road games and is suffering through a five-game losing streak away from Dodger Stadium. In those five games, the offense is managing to average just 1.8 runs and hit for a .156 combined average. The club hopes to build off of an eight-run outburst in the homestand finale against the Nationals. “Today was a good day,” manager Joe Torre said about Sunday’s output. “But we need more contributions from the guys in the middle. The Dodgers are in the middle of a 10-game stretch against opponents from the National League East (2-1) and have posted a 10-13 record against the division this season. Los Angeles if 5-4 this month (-100) and 32-35 in August over the last three seasons (-1,580). The Blue Crew has compiled a solid 8-4 record on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 (+360), which differs greatly from the 22-30 mark the last three years in this situation (-1,160).
Washington took two of three games against the Dodgers in a three-game series in the nation’s capital back in April 23-25, limiting them to five runs over that span. The Nationals suffered a 8-4 defeat to the Diamondbacks last night, as they commited three fielding errors that led to four runs. “Obviously, we played sloppy,” said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. “We need to clean that up.” With 109 games in the books, the team’s 48 wins to date easily surpasses the 36 victories they earned at this point last season. Washington has struggled on the road as of late, posting a 10-31 mark outside of the DC area since May 13. The Nationals are 20-38 overall on the road (-790) and the total is 25-29 O/U in those games. Don’t forget to bet this team during August, going 31-33 over the last three years for a surprisingly healthy profit (+1,140).
San Diego picked up an exciting 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins on Sunday in the series finale at Petco Park. The Padres lead the division by 1.5 games over the second-place San Francisco Giants and their pitching staff leads the majors with a 3.25 ERA. “We’re a confident group,” said infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. “The last couple of days have been a little crazy.” The club has the best road record in the National League at 28-20 (+1,440), joining the Giants and Reds as the only teams playing over .500 away from their home ball parks. San Diego is an even 4-4 on the road when the total is 7 or less (+200) and the total is 2-5 O/U in those games. The team has posted a 4-3 record over the last seven games due to limiting opponents to 3.1 runs per game and a .181 combined average.
Los Angeles looks to avoid being swept in this three-game weekend series, after dropping a 2-1 contest on Saturday night to the Giants at AT&T Park. The loss was the Dodgers’ fourth straight, leaving them seven games behind first-place San Diego and 5.5 games back of today’s opponent in the NL Wild Card race. “All we’re doing is digging ourselves a deeper hole that we’re going to have to come back out of if we expect to do anything,” manager Joe Torre said. The team was shorthanded on Saturday due to the trade of Blake Dewitt, Andre Ethier going home to see the birth of his second child and Manny Ramirez still on the disabled list. Los Angeles is 9-7 when playing on Sunday this year (+70) and 37-33 on this day the past three seasons (-160). The club is still 26-15 at tonight’s venue since the 2006 season and have a solid 25-12 record against the division (+1,320).
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.
Los Angeles managed to win Tuesday’s opener despite being held to five hits and only collected four in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. “Unfortunately, when you are not scoring a lot of runs, you’re putting a great deal of stress on the pitching,” manager Joe Torre said. The Dodgers have still won five of seven contests and sit six games back of the Padres in the division. The club is a dominating 25-9 against NL West opponents (+1,630), which is by far the best intra-division mark in baseball. Los Angeles made a move just before last night’s game, acquiring outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals. He’s among the major league leaders with 30 steals and batting .379 during a current 15-game hitting streak. The Dodgers are an even 13-13 in day games (-190) this season and the total is 10-14 O/U in those contests.
