The Los Angeles Dodgers (16-9) and Milwaukee Brewers (14-10) open a four-game series Thursday at American Family Field as the two clubs meet for the first time in 2021. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Dodgers vs. Brewers odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Wednesday: The Dodgers avoided a 3-game sweep with an 8-0 victory vs. the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers lost the rubber match of a 3-game home set to the Miami Marlins 6-2.
2020 playoffs: Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in a best-of-3 NL Wild Card Series.
RHP Trevor Bauer is the Dodgers’ Thursday projected starter. The 2020 NL Cy Young winner is 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA (32 IP, 9 ER), 0.66 WHIP, 12.7 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 5 starts.
- Last outing: Win, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K in 5-4 home decision vs. San Diego Padres Saturday
- Career vs. Brewers: 2-1, 2.66 ERA (20 1/3 IP, 6 ER), 0.89 WHIP, 14.2 K/9 in 3 starts last season with Cincinnati
LHP Eric Lauer is penciled in to make his season debut for Milwaukee. He was 0-2 with a 13.09 ERA (11 IP, 16 ER), 2.36 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 and 7.4 BB/9 in 2 starts and 2 relief appearances last year.
- Career as a starter: 14-19, 4.75 ERA (267 IP, 141 ER), 1.49 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 in 54 starts with San Diego
- Career vs. Dodgers: 5-0, 2.11 ERA (42 2/3 IP, 10 ER), 1.03 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 in 7 starts
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Dodgers at Brewers odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Dodgers -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Brewers +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Against the spread/ATS: Dodgers -1.5 (-115) | Brewers +1.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 7.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
Prediction
Dodgers 6, Brewers 2
Money line (ML)
The DODGERS (-200) have been steamed up from (-155), but they are still worth a one-unit play.
Lauer might be 5-0 in his career vs. the Dodgers, but he hasn’t faced them since 2019 and is coming off a shoulder injury. The southpaw, a first-round pick (25th overall) by the Padres in 2016, only pitched in four games for the Brewers last year because of the injury and a COVID-19 contact-tracing situation.
He failed to make Milwaukee’s roster out of camp this spring after an ineffective performance – 14.40 ERA (5 IP, 8 ER) in 3 outings.
Meanwhile, Bauer is last season’s NL Cy Young Award winner and is one of the top pitchers in the game.
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Los Angeles -1.5 (-115) weren’t a bad play when they were at plus-money earlier in the day, but I’m going to PASS and focus on the straight-up ML win. Plus, the Dodgers are actually under .500 ATS this season.
ATS records: Dodgers 12-13 | Brewers 13-11
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the OVER 7.5 (-105) to WIN A QUARTER UNIT. Don’t worry that the Dodgers are 2-3 O-U in Bauer’s starts. All five of his outings have seen at least 7 combined runs – with three games landing exactly on 7.
The OVER gets a slight edge because of Lauer and Milwaukee’s bullpen, which ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.57 ERA.
O/U records: Dodgers 12-13 | Brewers 10-12-2
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Bet on this game now at BetMGM Sportsbook. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
| JOHNNY RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| 2021 MLB | 31-25-1 | 8-7-1 | +4.5925 |
| 2021 (all sports) | 134-110-2 | 57-48-1 | +18.1425 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
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