Manny Ramirez is stuck in a 10-game slump, and as a result the Dodgers have gone 4-6 over that stretch. I expect their woes to continue tonight with Gallardo on the mound.
Taking a quick look at the MLB standings, you will still see the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the pack, holding baseball’s best record at 65-41.
But taking a closer look at the game log, the Dodgers have been less then stellar over their last 10 games. The Dodgers are 4-6 over that stretch, losing a three game series to Florida 2-1 and a four game series to St. Louis 3-1. They took a three game series in Atlanta 2-1, but lost last night as heavy favorites with Kershaw on the mound.
Most alarmingly for the Dodgers is the 10 game slump Manny Ramirez is mired in. A pinch-hit grand slam had the city rocking for days, but since then he has gone 10 games without batting in a single run, seeing his batting average drop 40 points in the process. While a hitter of Manny’s caliber will undoubtedly find his groove eventually, while he is out of it, it is hard to ignore as a bettor.
Tonight the Brewers have the pitching edge, sending their best in Yovani Gallardo out against the Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda. Gallardo has a sparkling 3.13 ERA on the season and has struck out 147 batters in 135 innings pitched. Gallardo is 10-7 and is coming off of two straight wins.
Kuroda has been good this season, but not great. He has a 4.44 ERA on the year. In five starts in July, Kuroda has not pitched further than six innings in any of them, and has not surrendered less then two runs in any of them either. Giving up two to four runs in five or six innings is usually enough to give the Dodgers a good chance to win, but with Manny slumping and the Brewers capable of racking up more than those two or three runs, I don’t like Kuroda’s chances today.
I’ll take plus money just about any time I can get it on Yovani Gallardo and this Brewers offense. Against a team not playing their best baseball in the Dodgers, I’ll gladly do so.
The Pick: Milwaukee Brewers +116