The two winningest teams in Major League Baseball this season will meet in an elimination game in the 2021 MLB playoffs on Thursday evening. Both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have won 109 total games in 2021, but one team will go home with a loss in Game 5 of the 2021 National League Division Series. The Dodgers picked up a Game 4 win on Tuesday night to even the series at 2-2. The winner of Game 5 will advance to face the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS beginning on Saturday.
First pitch is set for 9:07 p.m. ET. The latest Dodgers vs. Giants odds from Caesars Sportsbook give San Francisco the slight edge on the money line at -111 (risk $111 to win $100), while the over-under is set at seven runs. Before finalizing any Giants vs. Dodgers picks, be sure to see the MLB playoff predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Larry Hartstein.
Hartstein, SportsLine's senior analyst and an Early Edge podcast regular, is a blistering 88-59 this season, returning more than $1,500. In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 36-18 record on his last 54 MLB picks involving Los Angeles, returning more than $1,800. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Dodgers vs. Giants and revealed his MLB playoff 2021 picks and analysis. You can head to SportsLine now to see his MLB picks. Here are several MLB playoffs odds and betting lines and trends for Giants vs. Dodgers:
- Dodgers vs. Giants money line: Giants -111, Dodgers +101
- Dodgers vs. Giants over-under: 7 runs
- Dodgers vs. Giants run line: Giants -1.5 (+200)
- LAD: The Dodgers are 49-34 on the road this season
- SF: The Giants are 55-28 at home in 2021
Why you should back the Dodgers
In an afternoon swap, Los Angeles has named reliever Corey Knebel the starting pitcher. He's expected to serve as the "opener" for about an inning, and will likely give way to Julio Urias, who was originally projected to start. The Dodgers also have an elite offense, however, and that can carry them into a hostile environment regardless how the pitching plays out. Los Angeles led the NL with 830 runs scored this season, posting top-three marks in walks (613), home runs (237) and on-base percentage (.330). The Dodgers have incredible depth and balance, but they also have star power. Mookie Betts is one of the best players in baseball, blasting 29 doubles and 23 home runs in 122 regular season games, and he has a .350 batting average and a .500 slugging mark in the playoffs.
Will Smith is one of the game's best catchers, and he is also red-hot with a .778 slugging percentage and a 1.206 OPS in five playoff games. Los Angeles also has Trea Turner, who is a legitimate MVP candidate in the National League after a season in which he posted a .328 batting average with 28 home runs, 32 stolen bases and 107 runs scored. Los Angeles finished the season with MLB's best run differential, and the Dodgers are dangerous in every facet.
Why you should back the Giants
After finishing under .500 in each of the previous four seasons, the Giants shocked everybody by winning 107 games to best the defending-champion Dodgers by a game to win the NL West. Now they'll send Logan Webb back to the mound at home, where he pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out 10 on the way to a 4-0 victory in Game 1.
The Giants are now 22-5 in Webb's starts and are a perfect 13-0 with Webb on the mound at home, returning an MLB-leading 18.5 units to bettors who tailed him. Webb has now thrown 23 2/3 innings against the Dodgers and has a 1.52 ERA with 27 strikeouts. The combination of Oracle Park and Webb should help neutralize the pop in Los Angeles' bats while the San Francisco's lineup was built to win in low-scoring games.
How to make Giants vs. Dodgers picks
Hartstein is leaning under on the total, and he's found a critical x-factor that has him jumping on one side of the money line. You can only see his MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Dodgers vs. Giants? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side you need to jump on, all from the expert who has crush his MLB picks, and find out.
