NLCS Best Bets for Sunday, October 17, 2021
We ended yesterday 1-1 with a not-even-close call on the Astros beating the Red Sox. We shift to Game 2 of the NLCS while the ALCS has a travel day. I think the NLCS is all Dodgers from here.
Ian Anderson starts for the Braves who have a 1-0 series lead. Anderson doesn't have drastic splits, he basically is a 3.50 ERA pitcher across the board. He had one start against the Dodgers this year and threw 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs. All of the damage against Anderson came in the fifth inning of that game. In his first postseason start against the Brewers, he went five scoreless innings allowing only three hits and striking out seven.
Max Scherzer is pitching for the Dodgers tonight. I thought he was starting yesterday, but things changed and he ended up not starting. Here is what you need to know in case you didn't read it yesterday: Scherzer faced the Braves twice this year, once before his trade, and once after. Before the new-and-improved Braves lineup, he threw six innings and allowed four home runs in the Opening Day start. After the trade, the reinvigorated Scherzer threw six innings of three-hit baseball and allowed no runs. I think the Dodgers cover the run line tonight at -102.
Scherzer has also struck out nine Braves in both of his starts against them this year. I'm going to play over 7.5 strikeouts at -112. I have a couple of leans as well - the Dodgers over 4 runs and the Braves under 3 runs.