The Dodgers' first two games in Houston couldn't have gone much worse. In front of a playoff-type crowd at Minute Maid Park, Los Angeles has been shut out and blown a five-run lead to get walked off. Now they'll send River Ryan to the mound for his second-career start in the final game of the series.
Ryan will take on another rookie, Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros. In a matchup of first-year starting pitchers, it's the home team that's favored according to BetMGM:
Run line
-175
+145
Moneyline
+115
-135
Total
-120
+100
Prediction
Arrighetti has struggled in 18 starts this year, allowing opponents to hit .268 with a .362 on-base percentage. He doesn't strike out a ton of guys or get a ton of ground balls and he's liable to have some issues with control. The Dodgers can take advantage by getting some traffic on the bases and hitting a few over the fence.
The issue will arise less with Ryan and more with the Dodgers bullpen, which appears to have zero reliable arms as they approach the trade deadline. LA might post some runs, but it's hard to bet on them to win right now.
Astros 7, Dodgers 5