Interleague: Astros vs Dodgers Betting Preview

Houston is riding a 42-16 mark after a day off; 71-34 vs. teams over .500

June 23, 2023 109 3 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

Interleague: Astros vs Dodgers Betting Preview — Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP

Astros Struggling To Find Past Dominance
Six Years Later, Dodgers Haven’t Forgotten
Bettors Take Generous Plus Price

Our Astros vs Dodgers betting preview starts with a look at today’s starter and our opening odds. Usually, we’d look at MLB scores to see how far in first place each club is, but this season both clubs are struggling with an eye on the wild-card standings.

J.P. France (2-2, 3.42) gets the start for the Astros (41-34), while the Dodgers (41-33) counter with Emmet Sheehan (0-0, 0.00 era). The Dodgers are a -140 favorite after opening at -150. The total has been bet down to 8 ½ (over -115) from 9 (under -120). Let’s continue our Astros vs Dodgers betting preview by breaking down each team from a betting perspective.

Astros Struggling To Find Past Dominance

We’re not going to get too crazy and call for the demise of the Houston Astros when they’re seven games under .500 after enduring various early injuries. Still, bettors will have to admit that there isn’t the same confidence behind their Astros wager as there once was.

A $100 wager on Houston this season has cost the public 472 units. J.P. France gets the start in game one. France’s recent form has been solid, allowing 11 earned runs in 32 innings (3.09 era). Control has been a small problem for the righty after allowing 12 free passes with 28 k’s. Four of his last five games have been quality starts.

The Astros as an underdog, has been profitable for bettors this MLB season, winning 11 of 20 games (+298 units). Houston is 5 ½ games behind the Rangers for the lead in the American League West but would be one of the AL Wild card teams if the season ended today. Let’s continue our Astros vs Dodgers betting preview by highlighting the ‘Boys In Blue.’

Six Years Later, Dodgers Haven’t Forgotten

Listening to Dodger games this week because of the silly MLB blackout rules that affect Vegas, you can tell that 2017 is still fresh in the minds of the Los Angeles broadcasters. That year, the Astros used trash cans to alert their hitters to what pitch was coming. Houston won their second World Series by beating the Dodgers in seven games.

The argument can be made that Houston did win game seven at Dodger Stadium (5-1), but you can understand where every team involved in the postseason feels cheated, none more than Los Angeles. Emmet Sheehan is making his second start after throwing six innings of no-hit ball against the San Francisco Giants a week ago.

The Dodgers lost his start 7-5, but that performance was enough to earn the confidence of the betting public. The Blue Crew are -327 units this season, with 248 losses coming as a favorite. Let’s conclude our Astros vs Dodgers betting preview by giving our official selection.

Bettors Take Generous Plus Price

We were a little surprised by the Dodgers being a -150 favorite at home, but we’re more than happy to take the plus price, as is the betting public. Bettors have pushed this number down to -142. Through the years, Houston has been a strong wager in the game after a less-than-stellar pitching performance.

The Astros beat the New York Mets 10-8 Wednesday, but four earned runs were allowed by the starter Christian Javier in just 2.1 innings, and another four were allowed by six Astro relievers. Houston is an incredible 43-21 (.672) in the game after allowing five runs or more.

We agree with early bettors; take the Astros and the plus money in game one. That does it for our Astros vs Dodgers betting preview; we wish you the best with your MLB wagers this weekend.

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