Los Angeles at Cincinnati

I had the Dodgers on the moneyline in this same series last week, and Los Angeles turned it into a laugher, a 14-1 win over these Reds. Cincinnati sits under .500 with nothing but pride to play for down the stretch, and Nick Lodolo gives them little reason to think tonight looks different. Lodolo has been unraveling for weeks: a 5.12 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, and a last outing against this very Dodgers lineup that lasted only 4.2 innings and cost him three earned runs. Two starts before that he lasted just four innings against San Francisco. Tarik Skubal, meanwhile, has been everything Los Angeles hoped for since the trade that brought him west in August. He's sitting on a 2.84 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP since the move, and his last look at Cincinnati went 7.1 innings with only two runs allowed. Los Angeles is the clear favorite, and it should be. The Dodgers have the better roster, the better arm on the mound tonight, and a division race still to play for. Cincinnati has scuffled against left-handed pitching in this stretch, and Skubal is exactly the matchup problem this lineup doesn't need. The Dodgers are the play on the moneyline tonight.