Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
MIL	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	5	10	1
LAD	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	4	4	0

First pitch at Dodger Stadium is set for 7:10 PM PT, with Shane Drohan taking the ball for Milwaukee and Roki Sasaki starting for Los Angeles. Drohan's been a steady mid-rotation piece for a Brewers staff that's absorbed a brutal run of injuries, while Sasaki is finally starting to look like the pitcher the Dodgers thought they were signing when he came over from Japan.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Brewers(74-47)

LLLWW

5

-1.5+200+130o9.5+174

Dodgers(73-48)

WWWLW

4

+1.5-212-133u9.5-174

Best BetBrewers +124

Pregame

Milwaukee's still getting plus money on the road despite owning the best record in the sport, and that gap is worth taking. The Brewers priced out around plus-124 when this pick went up and have since drifted to plus-131, which is value on a 74-47 club against a Dodgers team that's relying on Sasaki to keep trending up rather than a proven finished product.

The lineup card matters as much as the arms tonight. Freddie Freeman said he's just sore after tumbling into the Kansas City dugout and is hoping to be in there, but his availability wasn't locked in as of Thursday morning — a real swing factor for a Dodgers offense that's already without both catchers who opened the season as their top options. Milwaukee, meanwhile, is still waiting on bullpen help: JoJo Romero and Joel Kuhnel are both working back from injury but neither has rejoined the active staff yet, leaving the Brewers pen thinner than their record suggests.

Shane Drohan

(6-4)·3.86 ERA

Aug 7 vs Twins

ND

5.0IP

6ER

4K

4BB

94P

08/13 Lineup

Roki Sasaki

(5-5)·4.42 ERA

Aug 7 @ Diamondbacks

ND

6.0IP

2ER

5K

1BB

86P

08/13 Lineup

Zoom out and this is a first-place-versus-first-place series. Milwaukee owns the best record in baseball at 74-47 and a comfortable grip on the NL Central; Los Angeles sits atop the NL West at 73-48. Neither club needs this game in August, but neither wants to hand the other a signature series win, either.

Milwaukee Brewers

(74-47)

Aug 12L@ Padres3-4

Aug 12L@ Padres2-11

Aug 11L@ Padres2-3

Aug 9Wvs Twins4-3

Aug 8Wvs Twins4-3

Los Angeles Dodgers

(73-48)

Aug 13Wvs Royals4-2

Aug 12Wvs Royals5-4

Aug 11Wvs Royals6-5

Aug 9L@ Diamondbacks2-4

Aug 9W@ Diamondbacks2-1

The form lines tell two different stories. The Brewers took the first two from Minnesota before getting steamrolled by San Diego, including a 2-11 blowout, and they're on a 3-game skid as of Thursday. The Dodgers have gone the other way, winning the first three of their set against Kansas City and going 4-1 over their last five — exactly the kind of hot streak that makes a series opener feel bigger than it is.

Milwaukee Brewers

(9)

• 10-Day-ILCooper Pratt (SS) — Pratt (hamstring) is expected to return from the injured list sometime in late August, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.08/12
• 10-Day-ILSal Frelick (RF) — Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Friday that Frelick (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment soon, Casey Drottar of MLB.com reports.08/07
• 15-Day-ILJoJo Romero (RP) — Romero (abdomen) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list before the end of August, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.08/11
• 15-Day-ILJoel Kuhnel (RP) — Kuhnel (shoulder) retired two of the five batters he faced and was charged with two earned runs on three hits and no walks in a rehab appearance Sunday for Triple-A Nashville.08/03
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff (SP) — Woodruff announced Saturday that he will undergo season-ending capsule repair surgery on his right shoulder, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILRob Zastryzny (RP) — The Brewers transferred Zastryzny (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.07/16
• 60-Day-ILBrian Fitzpatrick (RP) — Fitzpatrick (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery over the past week, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.07/05
• 60-Day-ILQuinn Priester (SP) — Priester will undergo thoracic outlet compression surgery on Monday and is expected to be sidelined 8-to-10 months, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.06/18
• 60-Day-ILAngel Zerpa (RP) — The Brewers transferred Zerpa (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.05/31

Los Angeles Dodgers

(13)

• Day-To-DayFreddie Freeman (1B) — Freeman said that he is "just sore" after falling into the opposing dugout during the eighth inning of Wednesday's 4-2 win over Kansas City , David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports. Freeman added that he's hoping to play in Thursday's series opener against the Brewers.08/13
• 10-Day-ILDalton Rushing (C) — Manager Dave Roberts said Rushing (elbow) has a "very small" chance of being able to play catcher again this season, but the Dodgers are hopeful that the 25-year-old can serve as a left-handed option off the bench if he's able to return from the 10-day injured list, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.08/05
• 15-Day-ILWill Klein (RP) — Klein underwent an MRI that revealed bone chips in his elbow, and the Dodgers are now deciding the next steps for his recovery, with surgery being an option, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.08/09
• 15-Day-ILBrock Stewart (RP) — MRI results on Stewart's right shoulder revealed tendinitis Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.08/01
• 60-Day-ILTyler Glasnow (SP) — Glasnow (back) will make another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.08/11
• 60-Day-ILBlake Treinen (RP) — Treinen (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.08/11
• 60-Day-ILWill Smith (C) — Smith (neck) could take batting practice at some point this week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (shoulder/elbow) is hoping to begin a minor-league rehab assignment around early September, MLB.com reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILGavin Stone (SP) — Stone (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.08/06
• 60-Day-ILBobby Miller (SP) — Miller (shoulder/back) allowed a solo home run and struck out three over two innings in his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.08/06
• 60-Day-ILBen Casparius (RP) — Casparius (shoulder) made the third appearance of his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing one earned run on no hits and four walks while recording just one out.08/02
• 60-Day-ILBrusdar Graterol (RP) — Graterol (shoulder) underwent surgery recently for a back injury he suffered while on a rehab assignment, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.06/01
• 60-Day-ILJake Cousins (RP) — The Dodgers transferred Cousins (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.05/08

Both rotations are running on fumes behind their starters tonight. Milwaukee already lost Brandon Woodruff for the season to shoulder surgery and has three more arms on the 60-day list, while the Dodgers' pitching depth chart reads like a hospital wing — Tyler Glasnow, Blake Treinen, Kris Bubic, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller are all working back from significant injuries. Whichever bullpen holds up better late is probably the difference in a series with real standings weight behind it.