Braves at Dodgers NLCS Game 5 Home Run Derby: Roundtable

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith tagged Game 1 starter Max Fried for a home run the last time they faced each other.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith tagged Game 1 starter Max Fried for a home run the last time they faced each other. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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Time for a little 'Home Run Derby:' Wagering Edition!

Ahead of tonight's Game 5 NLCS matchup between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, our team at BetSided is swinging for the fences and looking to cash in on who will go yard this evening from Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers may be down 3-1 in the series, but the oddsmakers at WynnBET still have them as slight favorites to win Game 5 and force a Game 6 in Atlanta. L.A. holds -142 odds (bet $142 to win $100) on the moneyline, and are -1.5 on the run line at +140, meaning the Dodgers must win by more than one run for the bet to cash.

The Braves are +132 moneyline underdogs (bet $100 to win $132) for a trip to go to their first World Series since 1999.

Max Fried gets the ball for Atlanta tonight as he looks to go to 6-1 in games that he starts for the Braves during his postseason career. The Dodgers have yet to name a starter for tonight.

Let's go around the horn and predict which Braves or Dodgers player we expect to leave the park!

Braves vs. Dodgers: NLCS Game 5 Picks to Hit a Home Run

Bet $1, Win $100 if a strikeout is pitched in that game. . dark. Exclusive offer

Trea Turner

Trea Turner has not been swinging the bat well this series, as he’s just 3-for-18, but two of those hits came in Game 1 when Max Fried was on the bump for the Braves. 

Turner has solid numbers against Fried in his career; 7-for-21 with one homer and two RBIs in 24 plate appearances. If he’s going to break out of this slump, it’s going to come against a pitcher that he fares well against. Turner and the Dodgers need this game, and after having a great season, I’ll back the Dodgers infielder to turn things around tonight. -- Peter Dewey


Turner crushes lefty pitchers, posting a .392/.437/.712 slash line and has taken Braves starter Max Fried deep once before. All the metrics lean towards Turner making hard contact in this do-or-die game, and I'll take a stab at him parking one over the fence. -- Reed Wallach

Justin Turner

Despite hitting the second most home runs on the Dodgers this season behind Max Muncy, Justin Turner is continuously undervalued in home run prop odds. He tallied 27 total dingers in the regular season, and he's due to hit another one in the postseason after getting a pivotal one in the Dodgers Wild Card win against the Cardinals.

As a cherry on top, you should note that he already has hit a home run against Braves starter Max Fried, despite only having 10 career at bats against him

Will Smith

Ok, Will Smith. It looks like it's "just the two of us" in our pick for you to go yard tonight.

Back in Game 1, Smith took Fried yard on a hanging inside breaking ball for the only home run he's given up this postseason. He holds the highest fly ball percentage in the starting lineup at 41.4% according to MLB Statcast, and one of the lowest chase percentages amongst his teammates at just 20.8%. In layman's terms, he's not swinging at bad pitches, and when he connects, they tend to be up in the air.

In a do-or-die game for L.A, look for Smith to be the "switch" that ignites the Dodgers' lineup at home, and if this bet cashes, we'll all be "gettin' jiggy wit it."

Ok, that last one was forced, but you get the bit. Smith goes yard and we all party in the city where the heat is on. -- Ben Heisler


Who has the best chance of coming back in their series? The Red Sox or Dodgers?