New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Preview/Prop Picks

The New York Mets will continue to stay in Los Angeles for the third game of the series. Unfortunately for New York, they've already lost the first two.

Now, down two games, the Mets will try to rally back and get a win in Game 3. It won't be easy considering who the Dodgers will have on the mound tonight. Still, they have to do everything they can to avoid another loss.

The Dodgers definitely come into this game with a sizable advantage. In terms of pitching, they'll have one of the best on the mound tonight. They also have a strong bullpen that New York has struggled against.

With so much going in their favor, it's not surprising that the Dodgers are -186 favorites in tonight's game. Let's take a look at each team and make our pick for today.

New York Mets: Struggles at the plate are the glaring problem

Overall, the Mets have an impressive 35-19 record this season. However, these last two games have put them in a bit of a bind. The Mets normally have a strong batting team, but against the Dodgers, they've struggled.

Through the first two games of this series, the Mets have scored just a single run. Hits were pretty low as well, netting five in Game 1 and 3 in Game 2.

We don't think that this problem is just because they're on the road either. The fact is, the Dodgers' pitching is doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

As a team, the Mets have a batting average of .263, ranking second in Major League Baseball. However, that kind of batting has been completely absent against the Dodgers. Could they pull it together and perform tonight?

Los Angeles Dodgers: Buehler will take the mound tonight

The Dodgers will send out the 6-1 Walker Buehler to the mound tonight. Buehler has an impressive record along with a 3.22 ERA to go along with it.

Considering the Mets have already had trouble at the plate, this gives the Dodgers another advantage. Buehler has pitched 58.2 innings, throwing 49 strikeouts, and has only allowed five home runs. 

The good news for the Dodgers is they're also successful at the plate this season. With a team batting average of .253, the Dodgers aren't far behind the Mets in terms of standings.

Through this series against New York, Los Angeles has averaged four runs per game. This season, the Dodgers rank first in runs (282), on-base percentage (.336), and slugging percentage (.431).

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Pick

When taking a look at each of these teams, the advantage swings towards the Dodgers. The Mets have a good squad but have been unable to get through the Dodgers bullpen successfully. Because of this and with Buehler making the start for the Dodgers, we'll have to take Los Angeles tonight. 

Along with taking Los Angeles -186, we'll tack on the under as well. With the way the Mets batters have performed at the plate, we can't trust them to put up runs.

The Mets are 1-9 against the Dodgers in their last ten meetings. The total has also gone under in six of the Dodgers' last eight games.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -186, UNDER

Prop Picks

NY Mets (-115) UNDER 3.5 Runs

LA is allowing 3.17 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 2 in the league, while holding opposing teams to a .216 batting average, which ranks No. 3. Scores have gone UNDER in six of the Dodgers’ last seven home games versus the Mets.

With Dunkel predicting an LA victory by the score of 4-3, take the Mets (-115) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Dodgers.

Walker Buehler (+130) To Record A Win

Buehler has recorded six wins with a 3.22 ERA in 10 starts this season, which ranks No. 2 on the Dodgers. Over his last seven starts, the righthander has recorded five wins while lowering his ERA to 2.93.

With Dunkel predicting a Dodgers victory while keeping New York UNDER its Vegas run total, take Buehler (+130) to record the win versus the Mets.

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