National League Division Series Betting Preview

Atlanta Braves vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Best-of-five Division Series starts in Milwaukee on Fri., 10/8, 4:37 p.m. ET

Series Odds:
Atlanta +125
Milwaukee -150

Only the Giants and Blue Jays exhibited more power in 2021 than the Braves, who finished third among MLB teams with 239 home runs during the regular season. It’s the type of team against which the Brewers have struggled over the past couple of seasons, as Milwaukee is 17-25 at home since the start of 2020 when facing an opponent that hits an average of 1.25 or more homers per game—the Brewers have been outscored by an average final of 4.8 to 3.7 over those 42 games.

Although Atlanta’s Game 1 starter Charlie Morton was saddled with the loss on August 1 the last time these teams met, he hardly pitched poorly in allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts over six innings of a 2-1 defeat. Since the start of the 2020 season, the Braves are 23-7 when avenging a loss in which the team scored fewer than two runs, outscoring opponents over those 30 games by an average final of 6.4 to 3.0.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
Best-of-five Division Series starts in San Francisco on Fri., 10/8, 9:37 p.m. ET

Series Odds:
Los Angeles Dodgers -160
San Francisco +140

The first 2021 meeting between the Dodgers and Giants was in late May, when Los Angeles swept San Francisco on the road and then four days later won 4-3 at home in the first of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. In the 15 games the National League West rivals have played against each other since then, the Giants have gone 10-5 despite the fact that San Francisco was a moneyline underdog in all 19 games between the teams during the regular season. The Giants ended up winning the division by one game over L.A.

The Dodgers struck out an average of 8.7 times per game during the regular season, which was the 13th-highest mark in the majors in 2021. In games started by San Francisco Game 1 starting pitcher Logan Webb, the Giants went 21-4 when facing teams whose hitters struck out an average of 7 or more times per game. San Francisco was 12-3 against National League West opponents when Game 2 starter Kevin Gausman took the hill in 2021.