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2021 MLB playoffs: Dodgers vs. Giants odds, NLDS Game 5 picks, predictions from expert on 36-18 roll

A berth in the National League Championship Series is on the line on Thursday evening at Oracle Park. The San Francisco Giants host the Los Angeles Dodgers in a must-win 2021 MLB playoffs Game 5 for both teams. The Giants led the series by a 2-1 margin before falling in Game 4 on the road on Tuesday. San Francisco will start Logan Webb in Game 5, with Los Angeles using Julio Urias on the mound to begin the elimination game. 

First pitch is at 9:07 p.m. ET in San Francisco. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Giants and Dodgers as a pick’em at -105 for each side, while the over-under, or total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, is seven in the latest Dodgers vs. Giants odds. Before making any Giants vs. Dodgers picks, be sure to see the MLB playoff predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s Larry Hartstein

Hartstein, SportsLine’s senior analyst and an Early Edge podcast regular, is a blistering 88-59 this season, returning more than $1,500. In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 36-18 record on his last 54 MLB picks involving Los Angeles, returning more than $1,800. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Dodgers vs. Giants and revealed his MLB playoff 2021 picks and analysis. You can head to SportsLine now to see his MLB picks. Here are several MLB playoffs odds and betting lines and trends for Giants vs. Dodgers:

  • Dodgers vs. Giants money line: Giants -105, Dodgers -105
  • Dodgers vs. Giants over-under: 7 runs
  • Dodgers vs. Giants run line: Giants -1.5 (+210)
  • LAD: The Dodgers are 49-34 on the road this season
  • SF: The Giants are 55-28 at home in 2021

Featured Game | San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Why you should back the Dodgers 

The Dodgers are deep and talented across the roster, but they can also rely on a projected starting pitching advantage in this win-or-go-home scenario. Urias is the team’s starter for Game 5, and the potent left-hander finished with the NL’s No. 7 ERA this season at 2.96 across 32 starts. Urias struck out 195 batters in 185.2 innings and, to go along with those punchouts, he issued fewer than two walks per nine innings. He closed the regular season on a tremendous note with a 1.76 ERA in the final nine starts, and Urias navigated five innings with only one earned run allowed against the Giants earlier in the series. 

Urias can then hand the ball to one of the best bullpens in the National League. The Dodgers finished No. 2 in bullpen ERA (3.16) during the regular season, and the team’s relief group struck out 9.64 batters per nine innings while allowing fewer than one home run per nine innings. With that pitching profile combined with the NL’s most potent offense (830 runs this season), the Dodgers are difficult to beat.

Why you should back the Giants

San Francisco finished with the best record in the majors this season, winning 107 games, and the Giants were even better at home. San Francisco is 55-28 at Oracle Park this season, and the friendly confines should help the Giants. The Giants are also excellent in both run creation and run prevention, as evidenced by a tremendous statistical profile. San Francisco was No. 1 in home runs (241), slugging percentage (.440) and OPS (.769) among National League teams, and the Giants were a top-three team in runs, hits, walks, batting average and on-base percentage. 

On the run prevention side, San Francisco may be behind the eight-ball in starting pitching for Game 5, but the Giants have an elite bullpen. The Giants led the NL in bullpen ERA (2.99) during the regular season, and San Francisco was No. 2 in wins above replacement for relief pitchers. The Giants also don’t beat themselves late in games, issuing only 2.73 walks per nine innings to lead the National League.

How to make Giants vs. Dodgers picks

Hartstein is leaning under on the total, and he’s found a critical x-factor that has him jumping on one side of the money line. You can only see his MLB picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Dodgers vs. Giants? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side you need to jump on, all from the expert who has crush his MLB picks, and find out.  

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