Giants vs Dodgers Odds, Picks, & Predictions: Bats Kept Quiet at Dodger Stadium

With Clayton Kershaw taking the mound and the Dodgers taking their foot off the gas on offense, Saturday's affair with San Fran could be a low-scoring one. Find out how to take advantage in our MLB betting picks below.

Last Updated: Sep 23, 2023 4:26 PM ET Read Time: 4 min
Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers MLB
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

After a big win in L.A. on Friday night, the San Francisco Giants will try to string two together against their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

With the playoffs in sight, can the Giants bullpen deliver the goods? Read our MLB picks below to find out. 

Giants vs Dodgers odds

Giants vs Dodgers predictions

We don’t really like to talk about non-quantifiable variables when handicapping a matchup, but it’s clear that the San Francisco Giants — the team with more to play for — looked much more motivated to pick up a win on Friday night.

On top of that, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ choice to have Gavin Stone work ahead of Ryan Yarbrough really put them behind the proverbial eight-ball.

Now, it’s honestly anyone’s guess who pitches in this game for the Giants. They may decide to use Tristan Beck here, or Jakob Junis, or even the former Dodger Ross Stripling. All three long men haven’t pitched in a long time, so we'll likely see one or two of them behind opener John Brebbia.

Junis has been pretty great in his role as a long reliever, posting a 3.84 xERA with a high 26.2% strikeout rate. While that holds little weight against a team that hardly strikes out, his .241 xBA and above-average ground ball rate should certainly do him well here.

Assuming we get Junis, I'm confident we can cash the Under here. Clayton Kershaw has been his normal dominant self in the last few months, and against a team that can’t hit lefties, I think we should see plenty of scoreless frames.

On the other side, the Dodgers are just 15th in wRC+ over the last two weeks as they’ve taken their foot off the gas offensively.

My best bet: Under 8.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Covers may receive advertising commissions for visits to a sportsbook or betting site
.

Giants vs Dodgers same-game parlay

Under 8.5 (-120)

Clayton Kershaw to record 5+ strikeouts (-180)

Jayson Heyward to record a hit (-155)

I’d just like to take a moment here to say thank you to the Giants and Dodgers for starting openers on back-to-back nights and making life incredibly difficult for those trying to build a same-game parlay. It’s difficult when you’ve got just one pitcher’s props to work with and a bunch of uncertainty on the other side.

One thing we know is that we’ll get plenty of right-handed pitching from the Giants, whose long men are all right-handed, which leads me to Jayson Heyward.

He matches up well with San Francisco’s ground-ball righties considering his 40% ground-ball rate within that split and a .283 average against righties. I’m not concerned about him being lifted for a pinch hitter here given the amount or righties behind Brebbia.

As for the other leg, the Giants are strikeout artists who are up over 25% against lefties. Kershaw has produced 4+ strikeouts in four of his last six starts, and this one represents one of his best matchups to date.

I’m comfortable going up to 5+ strikeouts here, but in a parlay, I’ll take the added security. We also know the Dodgers won’t push him to throw a ton of pitches.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Best MLB bonuses

DraftKings All Users
Profit boost (up to 100%) on one SGP daily! Claim Now

Caesars New Users
Get up to $1,000 in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win! Claim Now

Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2023.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Giants vs Dodgers moneyline and Over/Under analysis

It’s hard to justify the Giants on the moneyline here given their brutal numbers against lefties.

They’ve been one of the worst in the game with a 92 wRC+ against southpaws, and as I alluded to earlier, they’ve got a 25.2% strikeout rate with just a 7.1% walk rate. In addition, the homer-happy Giants own just a .134 ISO against left-handers.

With that said, we did see a slightly lethargic Dodgers team last night and with that, I do think there’s a little bit of value on the underdogs here at this price. On paper though, this isn’t really a good bet and that’s why the Under is a much easier call.

As for the action on this one, the sharps have certainly made their call. While just 8% of moneyline bets have come in on the Giants, and just 55% of the bets on the total are on the Over, 24% of the money is on the road team and a commanding 79% of the cash is on the Over. So, the Under is certainly more of a square side, but the Giants are attracting some sharps.

Trend to know

The Giants have stayed Under the full-game total in 78 of their last 140 games (+14.10 units / 9% ROI) Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Dodgers

Kentucky: Sports betting is coming!

Kentucky sports betting will launch on September 28 — but you can pre-register now!
Check out the best Kentucky sports betting apps, as well as the best Kentucky sportsbook promos!

21+ and present in KY. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Giants vs Dodgers game info

Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
First pitch: 9:10 p.m. ET
TV:
NBC Bay Area, SNLA

Starting pitchers

John Brebbia (3-1, 3.41): The veteran reliever hasn’t been used as an opener since June, when he pieced together five straight scoreless outings across five innings. He owns a 4.76 ERA in the month of September and has allowed a run in back-to-back appearances.

Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 2.52 ERA): The left-hander has worked nine innings in his two starts this month, allowing just three earned runs with seven strikeouts. While it doesn’t figure to be a factor against an undisciplined Giants team, he’s allowed seven walks in those two starts.

Latest injuries

Weather

Google News
Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic

Popular Content

Legal Canadian sports betting

Best Canadian betting sites Ontario sports betting
Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo