There was a manager fired in Major League Baseball on Wednesday, but to the dismay of many Chicago White Sox fans, it wasn’t Tony La Russa. He continues to come under fire for puzzling decisions with his team struggling. The Sox open a series at the AL Central-leading Twins on Thursday. Both these teams are technically in Wild-Card contention but neither is likely to make it with Texas 7.5 games out of the final’s AL spot and Miami 5.5 back of the NL’s last spot.

Nitrobetting checks out the game in this preview. Get a complete look at the game information, team and player statistics, and the latest MLB betting odds. We also deliver timely betting trends and predictions that help you secure the best picks.

Giants vs. Dodgers Game Information

All-Star x3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/b6hv9qlIv2

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 18, 2022

• When: Thursday, July 21, 2022, 10:09 PM ET
• Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: KNBR 680 (Rangers) / Dodgers Radio AM570 (Marlins)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Giants (+140) / Dodgers (-150)

READ MORE: Rangers vs. Marlins MLB Odds, Preview and Prediction – July 21st, 2022

Why bet on the San Francisco Giants?

This is one of six games to kick off the second half Thursday and the only one nationally televised. The Giants finished with the best record in baseball last year and won the NL West but they are 48-43 currently and are battling simply for a Wild-Card spot. They did enter the break on a three-game winning streak, but the Dodgers entered having won four in a row.

San Francisco is 3-2 vs. LA this year. The Dodgers swept two games at Dodger Stadium at the beginning of May and the Giants took all three games in the Bay Area June 10-12. The Dodgers could play a significant role in keeping the Giants out of the playoffs since they play their rival 14 of the next 55 games.

It wasn’t long ago that the Giants came close to slipping under .500 thanks to a 4-14 slide that threatened to derail their hopes of making the postseason for the second consecutive year. One cause for optimism lies with their talented starting rotation, which combined to post a 1.21 ERA over their past nine games. The offense also appeared to be coming around prior to the All-Star break, with key hitters Brandon Belt, Mike Yastrzemski and Darin Ruf beginning to heat up after tough first halves.

Catcher Curt Casali and former All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford are on the injured list – Crawford is likely to come off Sunday. He’s dealing with bruising and inflammation in his knee. The pain grew from a home plate collision on June 21, and he hit the IL for the first time from June 25 to July 4. Crawford is hitting just .215 on the season but when fully healthy is one of the better shortstops in the game. Thairo Estrada figures to start this weekend at shortstop until Crawford is activated. Infielder Tommy LaStella was placed on the COVID injured list a couple of weeks ago but also could return in this series. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a brief minor league rehab assignment.

Why bet on the Los Angeles Angels?

The lone Dodgers regular on the IL is super-utility man Chris Taylor due to a fractured foot. He has started taking some swings but won’t be back until likely early August. Pitching-wise, the Dodgers had three starters make the All-Star team in Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson; Julio Urías also made a strong case. Yet none of them will pitch tonight but instead Mitch White.

White (1-2) last pitched on July 12 vs. St. Louis and gave up six runs on 10 hits and two walks in five innings of work. White retired the first five batters he faced, but the Cards then collected five straight hits and scored three runs off him in the second inning. The right-hander labored in the third and fourth, as well, before rebounding with a 1-2-3 fifth. It was easily a season high in hits allowed for White and also the first time he’s surrendered multiple homers.

It’s All-Star lefty Carlos Rodon (8-5, 2.66 ERA) for the Giants. Following his most recent start last Thursday against the Brewers, Rodon relayed that he was dealing with a blood blister and a split nail to a finger on his pitching hand. Though neither issue was viewed as a major concern, Rodon still chose to err on the side of caution by withdrawing from Tuesday’s All-Star Game and using the break to heal up.

These teams are similar but we trust Lopez a bit more than Gray.

Giants vs. Dodgers Betting Trends

• Giants are 1-10 in their last 11 Thursday games.
• Giants are 0-5 in their last 5 during game 1 of a series.
• The total went under in 4 of San Francisco’s last 6 games against an opponent in the National League West Division division.
• Dodgers are 49-15 in their last 64 home games.
• Dodgers are 50-22 in their last 72 during game 1 of a series.
• The total went over in 4 of LA Dodgers’ last 6 games.

Giants vs. Dodgers Betting Prediction

Dodgers 4, Giants 3.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.