It’s the first matchup of the 105-win teams in MLB History. Also, the Dodgers meet the Giants for the first time in the postseason after playing 2,535 regular-season games against each other. These two NL West foes open their 2021 NLDS on Friday, October 8, so here’s the best Dodgers vs. Giants betting pick.

According to BetDSI Sportsbook, the reigning champs are -155 favorites to win the series, while the Giants sit at +135 odds. The Dodgers opened at -116 for Game 1 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, and the totals are set at 7.0 runs. 

The Blue Crew barely survived the wild-card clash             

The Los Angeles Dodgers won 106 games in 2021 and finished one game behind the mighty Giants. They had to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals in the wild-card game this past Wednesday, and the reigning champs barely survived, escaping with a 3-1 victory as -230 home favorites thanks to Chris Taylor’s walk-off two-run homer.

The Dodgers have been terrific down the stretch, winning nine of their last ten games of the regular season. They’ve scored 63 runs in the process while posting the best OPS in baseball (.916). The Dodgers have smacked a whopping 26 home runs in that ten-game stretch, and Corey Seager and Trea Turner led the way with six dingers apiece.

LA boasted the lowest ERA in the majors this past regular season (3.46). Walker Buehler went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 33 starts, and he’ll take the hill Friday in San Francisco. The 27-year-old righty is 3-1 with a shiny 2.16 ERA in six starts (37 innings) against the Giants in 2021.

Buehler has dominated his opponents for most of the regular season, but he’s had a rough patch in September, posting a 4.83 ERA and 3.42 FIP over his previous six appearances and 31.2 frames of work. Back on September 5, Buehler got pounded for six earned runs across three innings at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

The Giants outlasted the Dodgers 10-9 in their regular-season series

The San Francisco Giants won 107 games in 2021, including ten of their 19 encounters with the LA Dodgers. They’ve been ridiculously good all season long, tallying the second-lowest ERA in the majors (3.67) along with the fourth-best OPS (.769).

The Giants have won eight of their last ten contests, scoring 54 runs on a .251/.332/.408 batting line. On the pitching side of things, they’ve registered a shiny 2.36 ERA to go with a 1.16 WHIP and a .249 batting average against.

Logan Webb will toe the slab Friday, and he was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers in 2021. Across 16 frames of work against the reigning champs, the 24-year-old righty has yielded only five runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks while punching out 17.

Webb went 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 26 starts and one relief appearance this past regular season. He’s recorded a 3.98 ERA and 1.91 FIP over his previous seven starts (43 innings).

Trends:

LA Dodgers:

  • 8-0 in the last eight games overall 
  • 6-2 in the last eight games on the road   

San Francisco:

  • 5-12 in the last 17 home games against the Dodgers 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants Pick

The Giants have won six of their last eight matchups with the Dodgers. They destroyed Walker Buehler in September, but the current Giants still have a poor .186/.322/.250 triple-slash in 179 at-bats against him. Buehler certainly has more experience than Logan Webb, who’ll have a debut in the postseason, and Walker is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 2.66 FIP in 11 playoff starts (61.1 innings).

I’m going with the Dodgers, but this game could easily go either way. Both teams can lean on their relievers and play top-notch defense, so staying away from the side bet might be the best move.

Pick: Take Los Angeles Dodgers at -116     

The Total:

The under is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings between the Dodgers and Giants, and five of those eight contests saw seven or fewer runs on the scoreboard. I’ll ride this betting trend in the opening clash of the series, hoping to see a strong pitching performance from both teams. Also, the Dodgers led the majors in defensive efficiency last regular season, while the Giants were sixth.

In the final two weeks of action, the Giants bullpen went off for a 2.25 ERA and 3.40 FIP, and the Dodgers ‘pen posted a 3.23 ERA and 3.77 FIP.

Pick: Go under 7.0 runs at -118