The Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to win the 2020 World Series – and the Milwaukee Brewers are about to find out why as the teams face off Wednesday night in their first-round opener. The Dodgers dominated at the plate and on the mound in 2020, while the Brewers are fortunate to be here at all after finishing below .500 during the regular season.
- Date/Time: September 30, 10 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Dodger Stadium
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Dodgers -210 | O/U 7.5 (Line History)
- Brewers vs Dodgers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Dodgers kicked off the series opener as a -210 favorite but are now installed anywhere from -235 to -255 depending on the sportsbook; the Brewers range from +195 to +214. The total has risen in most spots from 7.5 to 8.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
The Brewers send left-handed relief specialist Brent Suter to the hill in the series opener. He made 16 appearances (four starts) during the regular season and posted a respectable 3.13 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 31.2 innings. He was particularly effective down the stretch, boasting a 1.79 ERA while allowing just one home run in 17 September innings.
The Dodgers counter with star right-hander Walker Buehler, who brings a 3.44 ERA and 0.95 WHIP into the contest but had a pair of rough outings down the stretch that might have fans and bettors concerned. That said, Buehler closed the season with a 1.54 September ERA, and has a 1.31 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 20.2 innings at Dodger Stadium in 2020.
Milwaukee News & Notes
It was a rough year overall for the Brewers, who snagged the final National League playoff spot despite finishing two games under .500 with a minus-17 run differential. It was their batting lineup that provided the biggest disappointment overall, as the Brewers finished 23rd in runs scored (247) and batting average (.223) and 21st in on-base percentage (.313).
If the Brewers are going to pull off the upset (and it would be a massive one, with the Dodgers -405 favorites to advance), they’ll likely do it on the strength of their bullpen – and in particular, their dynamic duo of Josh Hader and Devin Williams. Hader had 31 strikeouts in just 19 innings in 2020, while Williams held foes to one run with 53 Ks in 27 sensational innings of work.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Dodgers did as everyone expected they would, rolling to the best record in the majors at 43-17 while posting an incredible plus-136 run differential. The Los Angeles offense led MLB in runs scored (349) and slugging percentage (.483) while the pitching staff set the pace in ERA (3.02), WHIP (1.06) and opposition batting average (.213), among other categories.
Given how dominant they looked during the regular season (a big reason why they’re +300 favorites to win the World Series), they should see plenty of attention on the runline – and with good reason, as 37 of their 43 victories came by multiple runs. They went an impressive 21-9 in 30 games at Dodger Stadium, with four of those nine defeats coming by a lone run.
Betting Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-121)
These teams aren’t even in the same stratosphere – and while the Brewers do boast two of the most impressive relievers in the game, they can’t help the Brewers by themselves. The Dodgers are heavy favorites for a reason.
- Los Angeles is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games.
- The UNDER is 6-1 in Milwaukee’s last 7 games.
- Walker Buehler has held foes to 8 hits in 20.2 innings at home.
