MLB Baseball
2012-04-17 - LA Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
United States: Major League Baseball
Tuesday 17 April 2012 - First Pitch 8:10pm ET
1:10am (British Standard Time)
Preview
The LA Dodgers (9-1) have rode the good feelings they had coming into the 2012 season from the takeover led fronted by Magic Johnson and they have given themselves to surpass their best ever start since moving to LA and match the achievements of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers by opening 10-1.
It will be a tough series for them, the toughest so far in the new season, as they travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers (4-6) who have lost 4 games in a row.
The series will be highlighted by the battle between Ryan Braun, the Brewers MVP winner in 2011, and Matt Kemp, who claimed he would finish with a 50-50 record in 2012 as soon as last season was finished and who has started off the new season like he means it.
It might not be the high scoring game as hitters like that would suggest it would be as we have a decent pitching duel on the mound.
Chad Billingsley will get the ball for the Dodgers as he makes his third start of the season. He has received the decision in both starts, going 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA, and he has given up just 1 walk from the 14 plus innings he has thrown and scattered 8 hits.
The pitcher will look to get more success against a Brewers line up that batted 0.215 in their 4 game losing run. He pitched just once against Milwaukee last season, and gave up just 1 earned run and 2 walks in 7 innings, although the Dodgers lost the game 2-1.
Milwaukee did not lose 5 games in a row since September last year and will give the ball to Yovani Gallardo in a bid to get back on track. Gallardo is 1-1 this season with a 5.91 ERA, but he had a much improved performance in his second start of the season when allowing just 1 run in 7 innings pitched against the Chicago Cubs.
However, he will have to overcome some bad memories of playing the Dodgers as he has a 0-3 record from 4 starts against them and a 7.66 ERA. Gallardo had given up at least 4 earned runs in each of his first three starts against the Dodgers, but he did hold them to 1 run from 8 innings pitched against them here last season.
Head to Head
Milwaukee won the season series between these teams 4-2 last year, going 3-1 in games played here.
Milwaukee are 1-2 in Game 1's this season, all of those coming after losing their last game.
LA are 3-0 in Game 1's, all of those games coming off the back of a win.
Prediction
This should be a close game between the teams, but I am going to be backing the underdog LA Dodgers to record their tenth win of the season already as I feel they have the slight edge in a couple of departments.
Chad Billingsley is more than capable of restricting the opportunities the Brewers have in the game, particularly the way they are batting during their 4 game losing run. Yovani Gallardo, on the other hand, pitched well against the Dodgers in his one game last season, but has routinely struggled in his career when facing them.
The Dodgers have also been hitting well from the plate and they have scored at least 4 runs in 8 of their 10 games this season. They just battered the San Diego Padres for 20 runs in a 3 game sweep and I think they are worth chancing as the underdog to keep their form going.
The Pick :
Milwaukee Brewers 3-5 LA Dodgers
