The Freeway Series rolls on at Angel Stadium on Saturday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Los Angeles Angels.
Friday night’s affair featured a perfect game bid for the ageless Clayton Kershaw that was broken up in the eighth inning. The Dodgers still prevailed, 9-1, for their 10th win over an 11-game span. The Angels’ loss dropped them to 2-11 over their last 13 contests.
Can the Halos find a way to cash in as big home underdogs here? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Dodgers vs Angels on Saturday, July 16.
Dodgers vs Angels odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Dodgers opened as heavy -180 consensus favorites, and have drifted up to the -190 range at most sportsbooks. The total was unveiled at 8.5 and has stood pat.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Dodgers vs Angels predictions
- Prediction: Dodgers ML (-180)
- Prediction: Under 8.5 (-105)
- Best bet: Smith Over 1.5 total bases (+110)
Picks made on 7/16/2022 at 11:40 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Dodgers vs Angels game info
• Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
• Date: Friday, July 16, 2022
• First pitch: 10:07 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, Bally Sports
Dodgers vs Angels betting preview
Starting pitchers
Julio Urias (7-6, 3.01 ERA): Urias suffered his shortest outing since his season debut at Coors Field when the Cubs chased him after scoring five runs over two innings last Sunday. Getting back on the road offers him a chance to rebound, as he owns a 2.66 ERA on the year as the visitor, compared to a 3.40 ERA at Dodger Stadium.
Jose Suarez (1-3, 4.79 ERA): Suarez has been in and out of the Angels’ rotation since the start of the campaign, and his last two starts have offered interim manager Phil Nevin little reason to keep him in this role. He’s pitched to a 6.48 ERA over his first two outings in July.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Betting trend to know
The Dodgers are 40-14 in their last 54 interleague games against teams with losing records. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Angels
Dodgers vs Angels picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Dodgers have been dominant of late, and it’s hard to see them dropping this one against a slumping Angels squad.
Bettors should be willing to forgive Julio Urias’ most recent start (five runs over two innings against the Cubs), especially since his ERA was 2.57 prior to that misstep. The southpaw from Mexico finds a good spot to bounce back, as the Angels are 27th in the majors in OPS against lefties in 2022 (.653). Mike Trout – one of the Halos’ best batters against lefties (1.047 OPS) – is questionable for this game with back spasms, an issue that’s kept him sidelined since Wednesday.
Once Urias exits, the Dodgers’ sixth-ranked bullpen by ERA (3.28) will take over. Dave Roberts should have his full complement of relievers available, including Evan Phillips and Yency Almonte. The pair have combined to allow just one earned run over 14 appearances in July.
Jose Suarez faces a Dodger lineup that’s just 11th in OPS against lefties in 2022 (.734), but considering how his opponent batting average jumps from .215 the first time through the order to .304 the next time around, bettors should expect the “Blue Crew” to figure him out sooner or later. The Angels’ 20th-ranked bullpen by ERA (4.12) may only throw gasoline on the fire.
The trends are working against the Angels too, as the Halos are 3-9 in their last 12 games against left-handed starters, and 7-17 in their last 24 home games.
Prediction: Dodgers moneyline (-180 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
Both of these clubs struggle to hit lefties, at least relative to righties, so this game could be lower-scoring than some might think.
Though Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is probably the hottest hitter on the planet right now (.625 average in the last week), bettors should know that his average against portsiders is only .284, compared to .335 against orthodox hurlers. Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Max Muncy have all suffered at least an 18-point slide in their batting average against southpaws this season, relative to their righty splits.
Shohei Ohtani has appeared human against lefties in 2022, going just .233 with three homers over 116 at-bats. By contrast, the reigning AL MVP is hitting .268 with 16 homers over 213 at-bats off right-handed pitching.
The trends speak to these teams’ struggles with southpaws, as the Under is 7-0-2 in the Dodgers’ last nine road games against left-handed starters, and 5-0-1 in the Angels’ last six games against left-handed starters at any venue.
The Dodgers’ second-ranked offense (5.11 runs per game) should still scratch its fair share of runs across, but considering how the Angels have plated just 2.69 runs per game over their last 13 tilts, the Under looks like the better bet.
Prediction: Under 8.5 (-105 at DraftKings)
Best bet
One Dodger hitter who has actually fared better against lefties this year is Will Smith, who carries a seven-game RBI streak into Saturday night. Bettors should anticipate him being highly productive in this affair.
Smith – who had four hits in Friday night’s game and was a home run short of the cycle – is batting .339 against lefties this season, compared to a .257 mark against righties. The Dodger backstop is also hitting .319 on the road in 2022, contrasting sharply with his .227 average at home. Nine of his 14 dingers on the campaign have come away from his own building.
Smith has reached the two-base plateau in six of his last seven overall, and should clear the mark again in this spot.
Will Smith prop pick: Over 1.5 total bases (+110 at FanDuel)
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