Dodgers vs Giants Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (July 29)
- The Dodgers and Giants wrap up a three-game set on Thursday afternoon
- David Price and Johnny Cueto will battle it out on the mound
- Get the odds, analysis, and prediction below
The Los Angeles Dodgers (61-41, 28-23 away) and San Francisco Giants (63-37, 32-15 home) face off on Thursday afternoon in the series finale, with first pitch scheduled for 3:45 pm ET in Oracle Park. LA hands the ball to veteran lefty David Price, while San Fran counters with an experienced arm of their own in Johnny Cueto.
This will be the final time these two National League West rivals meet before a vital three-game series in early September.
Dodgers vs Giants Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -125 | -1.5 (+130) | Ov 8.5 (-115) |
| San Francisco Giants | +105 | +1.5 (-150) | Un 8.5 (-105) |
Odds as of July 28th at DraftKings.
Probable Pitchers
After opting out of 2020, David Price has returned to the Dodgers this season but played a relatively different role. He’s been more of a long reliever for Dave Roberts, but he will make his seventh start of the year on Wednesday. In 26 appearances, the veteran has compiled a 4-0 record and 3.35 ERA, while striking out 39 in 40 innings pitched.
David Price for the #Dodgers since April 13 (24 games, 6 starts)
2.45 ERA
9.1 SO/9
2.2 BB/9Oh, he was also included in the Mookie Betts trade pic.twitter.com/jpCJAndYov
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) July 24, 2021
With Los Angeles dealing with injuries to Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May, Price has been used in the rotation quite frequently as of late. His last start was on Friday against the Rockies, giving up three earned runs across 5.2 innings of work. Just five days before, he also faced Colorado, surrendering just one run. Since Price pitched most of his career in the American League, most of these Giants hitters haven’t faced him. In fact, there are just 23 at-bats scattered throughout their lineup against the 35-year-old.
Price vs Cueto
| 4-0 | Record | 6-5 |
| 3.35 | ERA | 4.09 |
| 40.1 | Innings Pitched | 88 |
| 39 | SO | 77 |
| 10 | BB | 16 |
Johnny Cueto might not be the same mid-90’s arm, but he’s still been very effective for a Giants team that has surprised everyone in 2021. His 4.09 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, but Cueto has kept San Fran in ballgames thanks to his ability to throw strikes. The 35-year-old has given up just 16 free passes in 88 innings and hasn’t walked more than one batter in each of his last six starts.
Johnny Cueto stole second and it was glorious 😂 pic.twitter.com/OjeBrzTMRu
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) July 24, 2021
Cueto has been hit around lately though, allowing 13 earned runs in his last four appearances. Last time out, he grabbed a no-decision against the Pirates. He is very familiar with the Dodgers, making 23 starts against them in his career while compiling a 3.91 ERA and 8-9 record.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Dodgers Batters | Batting Average vs Cueto | Giants Batters | Batting Average vs Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Barnes | .143 | Curt Casali | .400 |
| Cody Bellinger | .304 | Alex Dickerson | .250 |
| Max Muncy | .429 | Wilmer Flores | .000 |
| AJ Pollock | .143 | Darin Ruf | .000 |
| Albert Pujols | .000 | Austin Slater | .000 |
| Will Smith | .000 | Donovan Solano | .000 |
| Chris Taylor | .231 | Mike Tauchman | .500 |
| Justin Turner | .394 | Mike Yastrzemski | .000 |
By no surprise, The Dodgers are one of the best offensive teams in the major leagues. They score 5.2 runs per game which is second-best in the bigs and also hit home runs at a ridiculous rate, slugging 142 this season.
Heading into Thursday’s game, there is definitely some reason for optimism. Three of their best hitters in Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Justin Turner absolutely tee off against Cueto, all hitting over .300 with the Dominican on the mound. Turner has gone deep twice off Cueto and has faced him 38 times.
The Giants are also fundamentally sound at the plate, hitting .243 as a team this season while sitting in the top-10 of almost every notable offensive category. Buster Posey is leading the way with a .327 average while veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford is hitting .286. However, he’s currently out with an oblique injury.
Buster Posey pic.twitter.com/jYL6e200Fi
— LOLKNBR (@LOLKNBR) July 28, 2021
Posey has actually never faced Price, which is a surprise considering both guys have been in the majors for more than 10 years. No one in the Giants lineup really has much of a track record against the Dodgers left-hander, but San Fran typically plays brilliantly at home.
Dodgers vs Giants Prediction
The pitching matchup here is hard to predict. Both guys have been quite similar this season, but Cueto has been substantially better at home (3.42 ERA) than on the road (5.09 ERA). Price, meanwhile, has a 4.00 ERA away from Dodger Stadium this season.
With that being said, I believe Cueto will give his team a shot at winning this ballgame, with the Giants mustering up enough offense off Price to take the series finale.
Pick: San Francisco Giants ML (+105)
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
