The potential is there for one of the best pitching matchups of the young MLB season when the Miami Marlins visit the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday. The Marlins will send their struggling young ace, Jose Fernandez, to the mound to face-off against the newest pitching sensation, Kenta Maeda.
If Fernandez wants to live up to his ultimate potential, he will need to perform better on the road. The 23-year old is 5-10 with a 3.81 ERA on the road compared to his near flawless 18-1 and 1.61 ERA at home.
Maeda looks like the newest Japanese pitching sensation to make his way to MLB with a dominant first month this side of the Pacific. Through his first four starts, Maeda has allowed just one earned run while posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 23/5.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Los Angeles was a -137 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers at Sportsbook pick an Sportsbook over under number of 6.5.
Odds Shark prediction models pick the Dodgers to win this game 4.7-4.0. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Miami Marlins vs Los Angeles Dodgers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Los Angeles Dodgers bring a 12-10 record to the battle against the 9-11 Marlins. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Los Angeles vs Miami injuries news.
According to MLB Power Rankings here, it's the No. 4-ranked Los Angeles Dodgers and the No. 23-rated Miami Marlins in this matchup.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Los Angeles Dodgers No. 8-rated offense, averaging 4.5 runs per game, against a Miami Marlins defense that ranks No. 14 at 4.15 in runs allowed per game. The Los Angeles Dodgers have averaged 8.55 hits per game so far, less than Miami Marlins batters have averaged on the year (9.2 hits per game).
Miami brings the No. 14-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Dodgers's No. 10-ranked defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Miami threw a shutout at Los Angeles in their last outing, using a shutdown performance by Justin Nicolino to defeat Los Angeles 2-0 on Wednesday.
Next Betting Matchups
Miami at Milwaukee, Friday, April 29th
Los Angeles home to San Diego, Friday, April 29th