The Philadelphia Phillies and LA Dodgers play Game 2 of their current set on Tuesday night at Dodgers Stadium.
Los Angeles took Game 1 of this series 3-1 behind homers by Will Smith and Chris Taylor. The Dodgers won the game despite getting just three hits and four base runners throughout the game. After allowing one run in the opening inning, the Los Angeles pitched eight scoreless innings from seven pitchers including starter Tony Gonsolin.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies saw their four-game winning streak end on Monday in Game 1 of this current set against the Dodgers. Philadelphia won the last two games of their series against the Atlanta Braves and then swept the New York Yankees in their two-game set before heading to Los Angeles. Philadelphia is 32-32 on the season and in second place in the NL East.
Right-hander Zach Elfin will open on top of the mound for Philadelphia on Tuesday. The 27-year old is 2-5 in 12 starts with an ERA of 3.89 and a WHIP of 1.23. Eflin has pitched in a total of 74 innings with 81 hits, 32 earned runs allowed, and 9 home runs with 75 strikeouts.
Rhys Hoskins has been the Phillies’ main offensive weapon. He leads the team with a batting average of .237 and has 35 RBIs and 12 home runs on the season. Andrew McCutchen also has 32 RBIs and 10 homers while Jean Segura leads the team with 60 hits.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers took the opening game of the series 3-1 behind two home runs by Will Smith and Chris Taylor. Seven Los Angeles pitchers combined to throw eight scoreless innings as the Dodgers won for the sixth time in their last seven games. Los Angeles is currently 40-26 on the season and they are just one game behind their rival Padres for the lead in the NL West.
Left-hander Julio Urias will start for the Dodgers in Game 2 of this series. The 24-year old Mexican has started 13 games this season and has a league-leading 9-2 record. Urias has an ERA of 3.56 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has pitched in a total of 78.1 innings and has conceded 65 hits and 31 earned runs with 85 punchouts and only 11 walks allowed.
Taylor leads the Dodgers with 35 RBIs on the season with nine homers. Max Muncy has a team-high 14 homers while driving in a total of 33 runs. Justin Turner is batting at .278 with an OBP of .369 and SLG of .485.
Who Wins?
The Phillies are 4-1 in their last five games played but are 22-45 in their last 67 road games. Philadelphia is also 28-65 in their last 93 games as road underdogs, 3-7 in their last 10 games against an opponent with a winning record, 2-7 in their last nine games against the National League West, and 2-8 in their last 10 games against a left-handed starter.
The Dodgers are 6-1 SU in their last seven games played, and 4-1 SU in their last five games played at home. Los Angeles is also 10-3 in their last 13 games against the National League East, 86-30 in their last 116 home games against a right-handed starter, 47-18 in their last 65 games as home favorites, and 95-42 in their last 137 games against a right-handed starter.
Head to head, the Dodgers are 6-2 in their last eight games played against the Phillies. LA is also 13-3 in their last 16 games played at Dodgers Stadium.
There’s no question that the Dodgers are the better team between these two and Julio Urias has been terrific with his control this season with only 11 total walks in 13 starts this season. On the other hand, Elfin is 0-5 in his last five starts and has not won a decision since May 7th.
Los Angeles also has the more potent lineup and they can score more runs than the Phillies in any given contest. Philadelphia simply doesn’t have enough firepower to match Los Angeles here and while this could be a close game because of the pitchers, the Dodgers have the better offense to pull off the victory.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers
Over/Under Betting
The total has gone over in the Phillies’ last four road games against a right-handed starter. The over is also 4-1 in their last five games played as betting underdogs, 4-1 in their last five games against the National League West, 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a winning record, and 6-1 in their last seven games against a left-handed starter.
The over is 3-1-1 in the Dodgers’ last five games played, 7-2-1 in their last 10 games as home favorites, 6-2 in their last eight Tuesday games, 3-1-1 in their last five games played on grass, and 6-2-1 in their last 9 games against a right-handed starter. The total has gone over in five out of their last seven games after a win.
Head to head, the under is 4-0-1 in their last five meetings in Los Angeles. However, the over is 17-7-5 in the last 29 overall games played between these two teams.
Over
8.5 (-115)
Under
8.5 (-105)
Odds from BetOnline as of 06/15/2021
Urias’ excellent start may make you think about going under here. But these are two teams who have displayed terrific offenses so far this season. Philadelphia has scored an average of 5.32 runs per nine innings in their last five games while Los Angeles has scored an average of 5.66 runs per nine innings this season. Similarly, their bullpens have struggled with the Phillies’ having a bullpen ERA of 4.70 and the Dodgers’ even a little worse at 4.76 ERA. That said, I think we’re going to see both teams hit over on Tuesday.
Prediction: Over 8.5