There isn't a doubt in the world that the best rotation in the baseball belongs to the Washington Nationals (48-39 SU, +0.10 Units). However, the Nats will be up against it versus arguably the man who would have won the Cy Young Award had it been given out at the All-Star Break on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers (51-39 SU, -8.47 Units).
PITCHING MATCHUP
Literally, there's nothing to not like here about Zack Greinke and the first half of the season he had. He went 8-2, he struck out 106 men, and he has a legitimate shot to finish the season with an ERA in the 1.00s.
Now, it's absolutely unsustainable to keep stranding runners at an 89.5 percent clip as Greinke did in the first half of the year, and his FIP of 2.65 suggests that he should be in a lot worse shape. That said, this is a man who is a gamer and never ends up leaving games very early.
Is Greinke quite as valuable for bettors as Clayton Kershaw game in and game out? Probably not. But this year, Greinke has clearly been the better of the two pitchers, and that 1.39 ERA is really tough for bettors to ignore.
Washington still hasn't announced its second half rotation yet, but you have to figure if Max Scherzer throws Friday that it would cycle back around to Jordan Zimmermann on Sunday.
Zimmermann was on fire right before the end of the first half of the season, as he had allowed just one run in 22.2 innings over three starts.
That said, he allowed nine hits in five frames against the Orioles in his last outing, and his unsustainable low BABIP in those three starts of .205 has since been forgotten.
ADVANCED STATS
If you took Bryce Harper away from this Nationals lineup, this would be one of the most embarrassing offenses in the league.
Washington's offense gets a lot of credit due to the .339 average, 26 home runs, 61 RBIs and 59 runs scored which Harper has produced this year, but live bettors should be aware of when he is nowhere near due up in the lineup.
Take out Harper, and this team is left with a .242 batting average with 60 home runs and an ISO of .128. There's just no power here whatsoever without Harper, and the team has driven in just 290 runs, an average of 3.33 per game, if you take out his production.
TALKING BULLPENS
There's certain situations in live betting that you just have to take advantage of, and the Dodgers could have that situation setup in this one late on.
J.P. Howell is a situational lefty, and he is only going to be called upon with one or more lefties coming up. The Nationals have struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this year, and Howell sports a 0.35 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP thus far in 2015.
Just look up and down the lineup to see what is coming up for the Nats in the order in the late innings. If there are lefties coming up in the eighth inning, you can bet that Howell will be called upon to get at least one of them out, and then he could turn the ball over to Kenley Jansen for the ninth inning.
Jansen hasn't been perfect this year, but that 15.78 K/9 of his is amazing and cannot be denied.
LA has the perfect formula to close out games late on, and live bettors should be aware of it and bet accordingly.
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2015 at 1:35 p.m. ET at Nationals Park in Washington DC. The contest will be televised live on TBS.
