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The Los Angeles Dodgers come out of the MLB All-Star break with a 12-6 record over their last 18 games. The Dodgers begin a 10-game road trip with a three-game series in Washington against the Nationals, starting this Friday night at Nationals Park.
Los Angeles is going off at 17/2 to win the World Series, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Washington is also a major contender at 15/2 to win the championship. In Friday's series opener, the Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann is slated to start against the Dodgers' Mike Bolsinger.
With a 3.30 team ERA and a 3.19 ERA among starters, the Dodgers have had one of the best pitching teams in the majors all season long. The wins and losses come in based on how the offense is doing. The Dodgers could be major players in the trade market this year looking to add a big bat, but in the meantime the team is 4-1 over its last five games averaging 3.8 runs per game over that stretch.
Los Angeles is 13-7 in its last 20 games against Washington, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
The Nationals finished the month of June on a surge, going 9-1 over their last 10 games of the month, including an eight game winning streak. But in their last 10 games before the All-Star break, the Nationals cooled off and went just 5-5.
Like the Dodgers, the Nationals have had trouble producing runs with the exception of Bryce Harper. Washington has averaged just three runs per game over its last 10 games, but the team still holds a two game lead over the Mets in the NL East.
Friday night's series opener total for the Dodgers vs. Nationals betting matchup is set at six runs at the sportsbooks. The UNDER is 8-2 in the Nationals' last 10 games and 7-4 in the last 11 games between the Dodgers and the Nationals.
Two of the best pitching staffs in the majors will be on display this weekend as the Dodgers and Nationals fight for valuable wins coming out of the All-Star break. Clayton Kershaw is set to square off against Doug Fister in Saturday's game, and the series wraps up on Sunday with a matchup between staff aces Zack Greinke and Max Scherzer.