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#957 Los Angeles Dodgers (Miller) +105 over New York Mets (Scherzer) 12:40 PM CT

With now six straight wins bookended around the All-Star break, the Dodgers are back on top of the National League West, only trailing Atlanta in win percentage and run differential among NL squads. The recent run could push Los Angeles into buying-mode at the trade deadline with starting pitching depth a likely target. Rookie Bobby Miller has been getting the job done however, with the Dodgers 6-2 in his eight starts. A 4.50 ERA doesn’t impress but his FIP is 3.71 and he has five starts of at least five innings with three or fewer runs allowed. That includes strong outings vs. the Braves, Yankees, and Phillies, even if his recent form has not been as impressive as his first few big league starts in May and early June. The Dodgers have won the past two games in this series by a combined score of 11-1 with an 18-4 edge in hits. While the Mets deserve a better record sitting eight games below .500 while only -13 in scoring, the path to a postseason bid continues to grow steeper and this is likely a team to move players in the coming weeks. Max Scherzer may be showing his age as while he has eight wins in 16 starts, his ERA is 4.31 with a 4.54 FIP. His K/9 is his lowest since 2014 and over his last seven starts his ERA is 5.63 with 11 home runs allowed. New York has used five pitchers in each of the past two games as a mediocre bullpen will be in less than ideal shape while Scherzer has pitched more than six innings just three times in 16 starts this season. The Dodgers have a 2.70 bullpen ERA in the past 10 games and there is no comparison in the recent offensive splits with a huge edge for Los Angeles. The Dodgers have scored at least five runs in eight consecutive games while the Mets have scored four runs combined in the past four games. Scherzer has pitched better at home, but it has been a very small sample and he will command a significant price despite being less effective than Kodai Senga and Justin Verlander, his teammates who pitched the past two days in losses for New York. Avoiding a sweep at home may be unlikely for the Mets Sunday afternoon.