Dodgers Phillies Betting – Dodgers Try To Get Going Versus Phillies

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies hooked up in many National League Championship Series over the decades. They’ll reunite next week in Philadelphia.

National League Series Betting Pick:

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies - Monday, June 6 - 7:05 PM ET

The legions of MLB baseball betting pundits and sports betting gurus who follow the major leagues on a consistent basis are not about to get in the way of sound logic. When this series between two old National League rivals gets underway at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love, the Phillies have a clear advantage. Cliff Lee, the Phils’ starter in this game, has a 3.94 earned-run average. That’s nothing to write home about for Lee, who has been ragged in his last two starts. However, it would seem to be that it’s just a matter of time before Lee finds his grove. He should turn aside Los Angeles starter Ted Lilly, whose earned-run average is a respectable 4.22. That earned-run average won’t prevent the Phillies from winning this game, however.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies - Tuesday, June 7 - 7:05 PM ET

A wise sports bet on this game shouldn’t be the result of exhaustive research or analysis. Why make life more complicated? One reason is Roy Oswalt. The Philadelphia starter on Tuesday night is in possession of a gleaming 2.70 earned-run average heading into this tilt. Oswalt has been a standout performer this year for Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, stepping up to become a very reliable starter on a pitching staff that includes Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. He is on the periphery of the National League Cy Young Award derby. Oswalt could have been distracted by storm damage to his property in the state of Mississippi, but the veteran has been able to block that source of both pain and worry out of his mind. Opposing Oswalt is Jon Garland, who owns a half-decent 4.33 earned-run average to date in 2011, but with that having been said, one should not get one’s hopes up in the Dodger dugout. Oswalt is simply a stud, and he shows no signs of being unable to contain the Dodgers’ bats on Tuesday. Take Philly in game two of the series.

Los Angeles Dodgers Philadelphia Betting Pick: Philadelphia

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies - Wednesday, June 8 - 7:05 PM ET

The third and final installment of this series comes on Wednesday night, as Hiroki Kuroda goes for the Dodgers while lefty Cole Hamels takes the bump for the Phils. Kuroda has a 3.50 earned-run average this season, and he beat the Phillies in Game 3 of the 2008 National League Championship Series. Meanwhile, Hamels’ earned-run average is a very impressive 3.01. Both pitchers have exhibited appreciable steadiness this year, but the sense here is that the Dodgers, after dealing with the hard stuff of Lee and Oswalt in the first two games of this series, will swing the bats more confidently and see the ball well out of Hamels’ arm. Hamels is having a fine year, but after the Dodgers lose the first two games, they’re likely to leave Pennsylvania with at least something to show for their troubles. Take the Dodgers on Wednesday.