NLDS Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona D’Backs
Snakes Defied History With Two Road Wins, Smelling NLCS!
The Los Angeles Dodgers (0-2) are in a deep hole after losing the first two games of their 2023 postseason to a MLB team they’ve beaten in 57 of their last 80 regular season meetings. They’ll send veteran Lance Lynn (13-11, 5.73era) to the mound in an effort to save their MLB season. He’ll face Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72) for the Diamondbacks (2-0). Los Angeles is a -140 road favorite with the total set at 10. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:07 pm ET / 6:07 pm PT and can be seen on TBS. We start our Dodgers vs D’backs game preview, starting with the ‘Boys In Blue’.
Dodgers vs D’backs 
Day/Time:
Streaming: TBS
Roberts Sticking With What Got Him Here
With the Dodgers bullpen being an obvious strength, some speculated that desperate times call for desperate measures. Meaning that LA would go to a bullpen game in game three, Manager Dave Roberts never gave an indication that he was going to do anything other than give the ball to veteran Lance Lynn, and why not? Since the deadline deal with the Chicago White Sox, the 2-time all-star is 7-2 with 4.36 era as a Dodger.
Lynn’s history against Arizona has something to do with Robert’s confidence as well. In 12 career decisions, the Indianapolis native is 9-3 while winning six of seven dating back to 2015 (+4.48 units). As a favorite, the righty is 43-26 (+3.67 units), but most of that has come as a home favorite (+6.89 units) while losing 3.22 units on the road.
As a favorite against the Snakes in his career, Lynn is 7-2 (3.25 units). We’re trying to find the best baseball bets today, but those numbers still leave us confused. Let’s switch our Dodgers vs D’Backs Game Preview attention to Arizona for more clarity.
Arizona Will Continue to be Aggressive
Los Angeles really needed to grab game one. Instead, the Diamondbacks punched them and Clayton Kershaw squarely in the jaw with 6 runs before anyone could get through half a Dodger Dog, sending a clear message that the past will not dictate the present!
When you’re facing one of the league’s most powerful line-ups, it does your team some good to play with a lead. With a 16-0 combined advantage after four innings after two games, it’s safe to say that Torey Lovullo’s team has accomplished that small step-one goal. Arizona’s game plan was executed to perfection with Kershaw and again against Bobby Miler in game two. Aggression doesn’t mean swinging at every pitch, it means knowing who is on the mound and how they like to set hitters up.
Kershaw will be as aggressive in the zone, while Miller will try and get hitters to chase. The key to both is being in solid hitting counts. The Snakes will likely stay with the game plan they had for Miller with Lynn averaging around 92 mph on his fastball while allowing an exit velocity in the 57 percentile. His barrel percentage is among the best in baseball with a percentage of 13%. That concludes our Dodgers vs D’Backs Game Preview, let’s get to our official selection.
Going Against The Grain
If our MLB score prediction is correct, the Arizona Diamondbacks World Series odds will get a lot shorter. As predicted, early betting is on Los Angeles with 67% of the money wagered. It hasn’t been enough to move the number from -140, but the public clearly anticipates that the Dodgers will earn their first victory of the season.
We understand the thinking but we think it’s too close to call, so we’re going to take the Diamondbacks but with a little insurance. The Snakes are +1.5 (+124) and that’s where our money is going. That does it for our Dodgers vs D’Backs Game Preview, we wish all of you luck with every postseason wager.
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