Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves

Scherzer, Kershaw To Face Off In Epic Showdown

Arguably the two best pitchers in all of baseball are set to do battle in La La Land on Friday, as Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw will take the bump when the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers open a three-game series. Scherzer and Kershaw have a combined six Cy Youngs between them – including four of the last five in the National League.

SHARK BITES
  • The total has gone OVER in each of the Dodgers’ last 7 games with an average combined score of 13.7 rpg.
  • Bryce Harper is 1-for-18 with 12 strikeouts in his career vs Clayton Kershaw.
  • The Dodgers are 25-3 SU in their last 28 games at home with Clayton Kershaw as the starting pitcher.

Scherzer has looked every bit the back-to-back Cy Young Sportsbook from the past two seasons, as the righty has a 1.33 ERA and 0.67 WHIP through his first four outings this season. In Scherzer’s last 17 starts, he has allowed two or fewer earned runs on 15 occasions. The Dodgers had their issues when they faced Scherzer last season, with the Nationals ace allowing no earned runs while striking out 14 over 7.0 innings.

Not to be outdone, Kershaw has a 1.73 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP in his four starts this season, all of which were quality outings. The southpaw also had little issue mowing down the Nationals in his one appearance against Washington last season, allowing just one run with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

The last time these two aces appeared in the same game was in Game 5 of the 2016 NLDS. Scherzer started the game for the Nationals and pitched 6.0 innings of great baseball while Kershaw came out of the bullpen – for the first time in seven years – to record the save for the Dodgers.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

Betting fans looking to pick the Los Angeles Dodgers in this matchup found them as -128 favorites on the MLB moneyline at Sportsbook. Betting the OVER/UNDER instead? It was 6.5 at its open earlier today and hovering near that number at Sportsbook.

Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 3.0-2.7 result in favor of the Nationals. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.

Washington Nationals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

Los Angeles (8-9) will face the 9-10 Nationals in this tilt. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Los Angeles vs Washington injuries news.

This game matches up the No. 11 (Los Angeles) and the No. 16 (Washington) teams, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.

Statistical Matchup

On offense, it's a battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and their No. 10-rated batting order, averaging 4.94 runs per nine innings, against the No. 15 lineup of the Washington Nationals at 4.47 runs per outing.

Comparing defensive stats, Washington owns the No. 24-rated road mark, allowing 5.78 runs per game on the highway. Los Angeles, on the other hand, rates No. 14 in scoring at home.

Recent Outings Betting Recap

Washington suffered an 11-5 loss against New York on Wednesday, as Tanner Roark wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Citi Field.

Kenta Maeda fanned 10 San Diego batters in the team's last outing, leading the Dodgers to a 13-4 victory over the Padres at Petco Park.

Betting Trends
  • Washington is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
  • Washington is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
  • Washington is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
  • Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
  • Los Angeles is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games at home

Next Betting Matchups

Washington at Los Angeles, Saturday, April 21

The total has gone OVER in each of the Dodgers’ last 7 games with an average combined score of 13.7 rpg.home Bryce Harper is 1-for-18 with 12 strikeouts in his career vs Clayton Kershaw.away The Dodgers are 25-3 SU in their last 28 games at home with Clayton Kershaw as the starting pitcher.home
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