Pitching matchup will make sweep of Red Sox more difficult for Dodgers

It hasn't been dominant, but the Dodgers have looked good in the first two games out of the All-Star break. With a series win against the Red Sox secured and news that Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow are returning to the rotation, it's hard to have had a better weekend than Los Angeles has. Alas, the final step toward a perfect weekend is completing the sweep against Boston.

While the Dodgers are favored in Sunday's game, the pitching matchup would seem to favor the visitors. James Paxton will take the mound for LA against Kutter Crawford for the Red Sox. Here's what the odds look like at BetMGM:

Run line

Red Sox +1.5: -190
Dodgers -1.5: +155

Moneyline

Red Sox: +105
Dodgers: -125

Total

Over 9 runs: +100
Under 9 runs: -120

Prediction

Crawford isn't the guy the Dodgers wanted to run into given how their offense has fared against Boston's starting pitching in this series. He has allowed just one run in 20.0 innings across his last three starts. In that same stretch he's walked only one while striking out 15. He's red hot and LA's offense is still trying to right itself so the club doesn't need late-inning heroics to pull out another win.

Meanwhile for the Dodgers, Paxton has had a rough to in two of his last three outings, including one where he gave up nine runs and another where he allowed three runs and walked four batters in just 3.2 innings. The good news for LA is Paxton has been much better at home this season. At home Paxton has a 2.67 ERA, and he's holding opponents to a .212 batting average and .675 OPS. On the road his ERA swells to 5.51, and opponents hit .270 against him with a .778 OPS.

We'll lean toward the under, but with Crawford outdueling the Dodgers veteran.

Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2