The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers play Game 2 of the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday with the Dodgers batting as the home team. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Braves-Dodgers Game 2 MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Braves vs. Dodgers: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Ian Anderson vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw
Anderson is a 2016 first-round draftee who was called up Aug. 26 and made six starts in the regular season. The 22-year-old utilizes an effective change-up, and in his six turns crafted a 1.95 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Anderson has since pitched 11 2/3 scoreless playoff frames against the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins.
- Misses a lot of bats in the strike zone and that led to 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings in the regular season. Over his two postseason starts, Anderson has whiffed 17 batters while walking just three.
- Movement and change of speed on his pitches make him hard to barrel up from either side of the plate. Lefty batters registered a .145 SLG% against him in 71 regular-season plate appearances. His overall barrel (1.2%) and hard-hit (25.9%) rates are both well below the MLB average.
Kershaw made 10 starts during the regular season, posting a 2.16 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. The veteran southpaw has allowed 3 ER over 14 postseason innings in 2020.
- Has held current Atlanta bats to a minuscule .540 OPS and a .184 ISO (199 aggregate PA).
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Braves vs. Dodgers: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Braves
- OF Adam Duvall (oblique) questionable
Dodgers
- 3B Edwin Rios (groin) questionable
Braves vs. Dodgers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:35 a.m. ET.
Money line (ML)
The Braves (+145) are the 40.8% implied-odds choice here after taking Game 1 by a 5-1 score Monday. They have now marched through six playoff games without a loss, and an offense that was in high gear late in the season has cranked out five-or-more runs in four of their last five games.
From an analytics and support-numbers standpoint, the Dodgers (-164) were the “most real” club advancing to the LCS stage of the postseason. They have reserves of talent on both sides of the ball, and their 43-17 (.717) regular season was no fluke.
An effective port-sider (Kershaw) gives Los Angeles an edge in a bid to level the series at 1-1. Atlanta hit nearly 100 points higher (OPS) against righties during the regular season, and current Braves bats have a lackluster history against Kershaw.
BACK THE DODGERS (-164) on a line that can be expected to eventually tilt toward -170.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
There isn’t much of a lean on a favorite-batting-last total of 8. PASS on the Dodgers -1.5 (+125)/Braves +1.5 (-154) run line.
Over/Under (O/U)
Both starters (and bullpens for that matter) are high-end, but any overshoot on the gambling end of this one will tend to be in overestimating the probability of the starters handing over something like a four-run total to the relievers. So, TAG THE OVER 8 (-115) AS A LEAN. A 7.5 total (the number has flickered about during the writing of these last few lines) would be preferred.
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