On the final day of July MLB betting fans will be in for a treat when the San Francisco Giants play host to a bitter NL West rival the Los Angeles Dodgers.This edition of the Battle by the Bay will be a bit more intense than usual as both of these teams are in a dog fight in the NL West.
As it stands right now the San Diego Padres remain atop the division with a 59-40 record. The Giants are 2.0 games back (58-44) and the Dodgers 6.0 games back (54-47). The Giants are within striking distance of the Padres and have a very good shot at winning the division. The Dodgers are bit farther back but with a sweep of this road series they could be back in prime position to pressure the Padres and a minimum are in a perfect spot to battle for the NL Wild Card.
Heading into this MLB betting matchup momentum has very much been on the side of the Giants. This team has gone 8-2 in its past 10 baseball odds contests and as always the pitching has been white hot. The Giants have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Led by 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum (10 wins, 3.12 ERA), former Cy Young winner Barry Zito and Matt Cain (both 8 game winners) there aren’t many easy games for opponents.
The Dodgers have been hit hard by injuries this year but have somehow cobbled together a decent season with players coming up with big performances when needed. Still this is the furthest back that this team has been in the NL West standings in years and having split its last 10 MLB betting contests (5-5) this team needs to pick up the pace very soon or risk fading into the baseball odds sunset.
The Giants will start the formidable Zito (8-6, 3.49 ERA) who got off to a terrific start this year but has faded in the past few months, losing 4 of his 5 decisions and giving up runs by the truckload.
The Dodgers haven’t decided on a starter yet for this game but based on the importance of this rivalry and the erratic pitching of Zito lately; look for the Dodgers to take this road game.
