Braves-Dodgers Game 7 Should Be A Low-Scoring Affair

Corey Seager and the Los Angeles Dodgers have forced a seventh game in the National League Championship Series with the Atlanta Braves – and oddsmakers like their shot at advancing to the World Series as the teams face off on a Sportsbook-take-all showdown Sunday. The Dodgers have rallied from a 3-1 series deficit largely on the red-hot bat of their superstar shortstop.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The odds opened at -125 in favor of the Dodgers, who have been the favorites in every game of the series; you can find the line as high as -140 in some spots. The total has remained unchanged at 8.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

The Braves send Ian Anderson to the hill for their third shot at clinching the series. Anderson has been absolutely phenomenal this season by any measure, boasting a 1.31 ERA with just one home run allowed over 48 innings of work. And his changeup has been particularly effective in 2020; per ESPN, batters are hitting a miserable .076 against it for the season.

The Dodgers declined to name a Game 7 starter following their Game 6 victory, but reports suggest they'll roll with Tony Gonsolin. He struggled with his effectiveness in the Dodgers' Game 2 loss, allowing five runs (all earned) over 4 1/3 innings. Don't be surprised to see the Dodgers keep him on a short leash, with Clayton Kershaw among the possibilities to come on in relief.

Atlanta News & Notes

Will the real Ronald Acuna Jr. show up in Game 7? That's the biggest question Braves backers have as the talented outfielder looks to halt a series-long slump. Acuna is batting a pitiful .190 with a lone RBI in the first six games of the NLCS – and that has been a theme throughout the postseason, with Acuna (who hit 14 homers during the season) batting .233 with one home run.

His resurgence will make things a lot easier for an Atlanta lineup that has gone quiet in two games since jumping out to a 3-1 lead with a 10-2 drubbing of the Dodgers. The Braves have four runs over their past two outings, and failure to convert their scoring chances has been a major problem with Atlanta having gone just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position over that span.

LA Dodgers News & Notes

If you have money on Seager as the NLCS Most Valuable Player, you have to like your chances of cashing in if the Dodgers pull out a Game 7 win. Seager has been on a whole other level against a formidable Atlanta pitching staff, batting .375 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in the series; his 26 total bases in six games are more than double the next closest teammate.

Seager will be a focal point of the Braves' hurlers in Game 7, but he can't do it alone – and now would be a good time for Cody Bellinger to find his form. Bellinger has stumbled to a .174/.296/.391 slash line with one home run in the NLCS, and he has whiffed multiple times in three of the first six games (including a swinging strikeout in Game 2 against Anderson).

Betting Pick: UNDER 8 (-110)

Both teams will throw the kitchen sink at the opposing lineup in an effort to keep them off the basepaths – and that should keep the final game total below the number.