Astros vs Dodgers Picks and Predictions: LA Offense Will Power Dodgers to Win in Scherzer Debut

Max Scherzer is making his Dodgers debut against the hated Houston Astros tonight, where L.A. is a massive MLB betting favorite. We obviously like the Dodger Blue to prevail tonight... but it will ultimately be because of the offense — not Mad Max.

Aug 4, 2021 • 09:30 ET • 4 min read
Mookie Betts Los Angeles Dodgers MLB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Max Scherzer will be making his Los Angeles Dodgers debut when the team hosts the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.

This is a rematch of the 2017 World Series and these teams have, to say the least, some bad blood.

The Astros won last night, but are massive MLB betting underdogs for the second half of this two-game interleague set.

Will Los Angeles come away with the win in Scherzer’s debut? Find out more with our Astros vs. Dodgers MLB picks and predictions for August 4.

Astros vs Dodgers game info

Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
TV: SportsNet LA, ATT SportsNet-SW

Astros vs Dodgers odds

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Astros vs Dodgers betting preview

Starting pitchers

Jake Odorizzi (4-5, 4.30 ERA): Odorizzi hasn’t been the same top-end rotation guy he’s been in the past, but he has been solid as of late. The righty pitched 5 1-3 innings of three-run ball in a win over Seattle on July 28, and the Astros have won six of his last nine trips to the mound. Also, Odorizzi has been much better on the road this year, where he is 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA. 

Max Scherzer (8-4, 2.76 ERA): This will be Scherzer’s first start for the Dodgers but the superstar does come into this one after having pitched a great game in his last outing. On July 29, Scherzer struck out five batters and allowed only one run in six innings of work against the Philadelphia Phillies in his final start for Washington. Scherzer had been experiencing some minor pain before that start, so it was a good sign that the righty is now healthy.

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.

Key injuries

Astros: Alex Bregman 3B (Out), Pedro Baez RP (Out), Josh James RP (Out).
Dodgers: Trea Turner SS (Out), Gavin Lux 2B (Out), Corey Knebel RP (Out), Tommy Kahnle RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Dodgers are 4-1 in their last five interleague home games against teams with winning records. Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Dodgers.

Moneyline pick

The Dodgers have a massive mismatch on the mound in this one, as the struggling Odorizzi goes against one of the best pitchers in the game. Los Angeles is fittingly a massive favorite, and that makes it somewhat difficult to suggest backing them here. However, the best way to do it is to take the Dodgers -1.5 or just to put the moneyline into a parlay.

Obviously, anything can happen on any given day in a baseball game, but the Dodgers have everything you’re looking for when trying to decide on who to bet.

The team has dominated right-handed pitching this year. Only three teams have more RBIs than the Dodgers against righties on the season and they have faced pitchers that are far better than Odorizzi.

Also, Scherzer might not be completely shutting down opponents this season but he is still performing like one of the few true aces in the league, and tonight's game is in the National League, meaning he’ll see the opposing pitcher in the lineup. That will help against a Houston team that is one of the best offenses in the league.

PREDICTION: Dodgers (-216)

Over/Under pick

Ten of the 14 games that Odorizzi has pitched this year would have gone Over tonight's total, and the righty now faces a Dodgers team that is extremely explosive offensively.

Odorizzi hasn’t been himself this season, leaving open the possibility that Los Angeles could hang a crooked number. The Dodgers have the highest on-base percentage of any team in the league against right-handed pitching, and the Dodgers are fourth in baseball in RBIs against righties — they could come close to hitting this total by themselves.

Also, Scherzer might not be completely comfortable in his new home right away. He also hadn’t been quite his dominant self before getting traded, so he could give up a few runs as well.

PREDICTION: Over 8.5 (-118)

Astros vs Dodgers betting card

  • Dodgers ML (-216)
  • Over 8.5 (-118)

Picks made on 8/4/2021 at 9:48 a.m. ET

MLB parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed today’s MLB Astros vs. Dodgers picks, you could win $17.03 on a $10 bet?

Use our MLB parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

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