Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants 7/29/21 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Two of the best teams in the National League will meet up when the Los Angeles Dodgers travel on the road to Oracle Park to take on the San Fransisco Giants. The Dodgers took two of three of the Rockies, but lost the series opener 2-1 and dropped to 61-41 which leaves them three games back in the NL West. The Giants hold the best record in the MLB at 63-37, a surprise to most this season, and have win two of their last three games.

San Fransisco has been a solid offense this season ranking 10th in team batting average hitting .243 and are seventh in scoring offense averaging 4.86 runs per game. It’s been the production from savvy veterans like Evan Longoria and shortstop Brandon Crawford, who leads the team in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs leading the way for the most part. Catcher Buster Posey is having a career season hitting .327 in 65 games, and appears to be healthy after struggles earlier in the year.

The Giants will hand the ball to the right-hander Johnny Cueto who hasn't had the best numbers but has been a solid arm in the San Fransisco rotation. Cueto is 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA but is coming off a couple of solid starts in a row where he’s pitched a combined 10 innings allowing four runs on five hits and striking out twelve to just two walks issued.

Los Angeles has been a resounding favorite to win the World Series after they won last season, but the offense isn’t as good as many had hoped. The Dodgers are 11th in team batting average hitting .243 as a unit, but are second in the MLB in scoring offense averaging 5.16 runs per game. One of the letdowns has been MVP candidate Mookie Betts who is hitting .270 with 15 homeruns and 40 RBIs in 82 games, solid numbers but not what he has been accustomed to throughout his career.

The left-handed David Price will get the start for the Dodgers and despite injuries has been solid in his limited action this season. Price is 4-0 with a 3.35 ERA in 40.1 innings this season but struggled in his last outing against the Rockies where he allowed three runs (including two homeruns) in 5.2 innings of work. He’s been relegated to a bullpen role, for the most part, this season, and even though he’s certainly past his prime, is still a solid rotational guy.