Diamondbacks @ Dodgers Predictions 5/17/21: Take Dodgers -205

Will tonight be the night the Dodgers turn things around when Madison Bumgarner comes to town?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been going through a rough time recently, and even that would qualify as one of the biggest understatements of the spring.

On top of being without Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers awful luck continued when Corey Seager was hit in the hand by a pitch over the weekend. While the injury isn’t going to require surgery, the fracture will require between four and six weeks to heal.

Fortunately, the Dodgers pitching has been pretty good this season. Every single one of the pitchers in the original rotation have an ERA under 3.50.

Walker Buehler gets the start on the hill against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, who send lefty Madison Bumgarner to match.

Part of the Dodgers’ tough stretch has been their inability to win close ballgames. In the last eight games decided by one run, the Dodgers are 0-8.

But at home this season, the Dodgers are 12-6. The Dodgers have been the favorite in each of their home games, but are an average 10-11 the rest of the time. Because they’re at home tonight, I like the Dodgers here tonight.

Despite Los Angeles’ tough time against lefties, the Diamondbacks are just 9-13 as a road underdog and 13-20 as an underdog overall.

This is the first matchup of the season for the two National League West opponents. The Diamondbacks are 4-4 in Bumgarner’s starts, while the Dodgers are 4-3.

There’s not much that excites me about Arizona’s lineup this season, and at some point, I expect the Los Angeles cold streak to end. Fortunately for the Dodgers, this could be the game to get them going again. If Buehler can deliver a good performance here, allowing the Dodgers to win in a more low-scoring affair, this could be the positive lift the club has undoubtedly needed.

Pick: Dodgers -205.

For a prop bet, I’m eyeing Bumgarner under 6.5 strikeouts at -148 at BetRivers and 888Sport and Unibet.