July has been an excellent month for the Dodgers. They have won 13 of their first 15 and are starting to break away from the pack in the NL West. Fifteen of their next 18 games are against divisional opponents, so they’ll have a chance to build an even bigger lead.
While the Giants sit 12.5 games out in the NL West, they’re just one game from a wild card spot. They also entered the All-Star break playing well, winning seven of their last nine. It may be a tall task to win the NL West, but they have something to play for.
Is Tyler Anderson For Real?
Los Angeles has proven to be the team to beat in the National League. They have talent on both sides of the ball, but the pitching is proving effective from top to bottom. They come into the second half with the best ERA (2.96) and WHIP (1.07), but the starting rotation has been even better with a 2.77 ERA.
Tonight’s starter Tyler Anderson has stepped up in his first year with the team. He enters this game at 10-1 with a 2.96 ERA. For most teams, you believe that’s your ace, but his ERA is fourth amongst Dodgers, and the 1.017 WHIP is third.
He’s going to establish the count with his fastball, and he does an incredible job of keeping his changeup down in the zone. His cutter also has some late movement to keep it off the barrel of his opponents. He’s done well inducing weak contact all season as his 5.3 barrel percentage is his lowest since his rookie season.
A performance worthy of a standing ovation. Well done, Tyler Anderson. pic.twitter.com/F80bb2cjnP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 16, 2022
Will Past Success Help The Giants?
As great as Anderson has been this season, he may run into trouble tonight with this Giants lineup.
San Fransisco doesn’t have much experience against Anderson, but some of their newer players have done well. Joc Pederson comes in batting .385 lifetime against Anderson (5-14). But Wilmer Flores has the most success going 5-11, including a home run. Darin Ruf also has two hits in three at-bats against him, one a double and the other a home run.
The Giants have also hit well against lefties this year, especially in the power department. They’re sixth in SLG (.444), wRC+ (118), and seventh in OPS (.770).
Webb Continues His Great Season
Logan Webb is building off a breakout year in 2021 and has a team-best nine wins and 1.105 WHIP.
Even with last season’s success, he’s changed up his pitching style. He’s made the slider his dominant pitch over the sinker, going from 27.7% of his pitches last year to 32.2%, but it hasn’t been effective at all with his record.
This will be the first time he faces the Dodgers this year. His track record is good as he has allowed just four earned runs in 16 innings, with the Giants going 3-0 in those games.
NL All-Star snub Logan Webb departs to a standing ovation to close out the first half of the season pic.twitter.com/xy31KNZQJC
— Taylor Wirth (@WirthTM) July 17, 2022
Giants Vs Dodgers Prediction
Both teams come into the second half playing well. This will be an entertaining pitching matchup as both starters are at their best right now. The Dodgers are the better the team and should be favored, but I like Webb and his history against them. Add the Giants’ success against Anderson and lefties in general, and they’ll pull off the win.
The Pick: Giants moneyline | +120 at FanDuel
