The San Francisco Giants took a 2-1 NLDS lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a low-scoring battle last night and will try to advance to the next round of the MLB postseason with another victory at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
MLB betting lines opened with Los Angeles as a -150 home favorite for Game 4 but after it was announced that the Dodgers would start All-Star Walker Buehler on short rest the line shifted to -180.
Here are our best free MLB playoff picks and predictions for Giants vs. Dodgers on October 12.
Giants vs Dodgers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Giants vs Dodgers picks
Picks made on 10/12/2021 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Giants vs Dodgers game info
• Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021
• Time: 9:07 p.m. ET
• TV: TBS
Giants vs Dodgers betting preview
Starting pitchers
Anthony DeSclafani (13-7, 3.17 ERA): DeSclafani was outstanding in his first season with the Giants, putting up career-best numbers in ERA (3.17), WHIP (1.09), and opponent batting average (.225), while logging 167 2-3 innings. He was especially sharp toward the end of the season, pitching to a 2.25 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in six outings since the start of September. This will be DeSclafani's first postseason appearance in his seventh season in the majors.
Walker Buehler (4-1, 3.23 ERA): With the Dodgers' season on the line they have opted to give the ball to Walker Buehler on just three days of rest. Buehler allowed three runs on a pair of homers in L.A.'s Game 1 loss. However, the right-hander is one of the best in the business and finished the regular season with a 0.97 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .199 in 33 starts.
Giants vs Dodgers series odds (Giants lead 2-1)
Giants: -250
Dodgers: +210
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Giants: Brandon Belt 1B (Out), Tony Watson RP (Out).
Dodgers: Max Muncy 1B (Out), Clayton Kershaw SP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 5-1 in the Dodgers last six playoff games. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Dodgers.
Giants vs Dodgers predictions
Los Angeles first five innings -0.5 (-120)
The Giants won 1-0 last night in a memorable game that saw crazy winds affect fly balls and even caused Dodgers ace Max Scherzer to almost fall off the mound.
With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers will give the ball to Walker Buehler, who has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors since he made his MLB debut in 2017.
In 313 career innings at Dodgers Stadium, Buehler has pitched to a microscopic 2.30 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP and an OBA of .190. If Buehler can't go deep into this contest, Tony Gonsolin will likely step in as the middle reliever. Gonsolin was 4-1 with a 3.23 ERA and an OBA of .202 across 55 2-3 innings this year.
San Francisco will send DeSclafani to the mound and the right-hander has pitched very well recently, with the Giants winning five of his last six starts, including a gem against the Dodgers on September 3 where he pitched six innings of shutout ball and allowed just two hits.
However, DeSclafani has typically struggled against L.A. this year, allowing at least four runs in three of six starts against the Dodgers and pitching to a 7.33 ERA with an OBA of .300 during those contests.
When it comes to hitting, there isn't much separating these teams. The Giants finished the regular season ranked fourth in the majors with an OPS of .769 while the Dodgers were right behind them with an OPS of .759.
However with the Dodgers in desperation mode and starting the superior pitcher in this matchup we like them to get off to a good start and have the lead midway through the game.
Under 8 (-115)
Neither team has been hitting well during the NLDS and both squads are missing hard-hitting first basemen with Max Muncy and Brandon Belt out with injuries.
While DeSclafani has been hit hard by the Dodgers at times this season, he has been sharp lately and the Giants bullpen behind him has been excellent.
San Francisco's relievers finished the regular season with the lowest ERA (2.99) and second-lowest OBA (.225) in the majors. The only bullpen that finished with a better OBA belonged to the Dodgers who also happened to have the second-lowest ERA at 3.16.
Buehler may have taken the loss in Game 1 but he was lights out against the Giants during the regular season, pitching to a 2.19 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP across six starts. Expect an extremely tense postseason atmosphere in this one and while we were leaning towards the Over 7.5 when this line opened without a Dodgers starter announced, we'll gladly grab the Under 8 with Buehler toeing the rubber.
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