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Los Angeles Dodgers Predictions | 2011 Season Betting Preview

Shea Matthews weighs in with his L.A. Dodgers 2011 Team Gambling Preview. I see 2011 as a virtual carbon copy of 2010. The Dodgers’ pitching staff will be their strength but it’s not so dominant that it can win them a division title. Do your MLB betting with Cappers Picks MLB expert picks in 2011…

2011 MLB Team Preview: L.A. Dodgers

Hard to believe, as some of us still have VERY cold temperatures outside, that the Boys of Summer are almost back. But it’s true; teams have started reporting to 2011 Major League Baseball training camps and it’s time to start our team-by-team baseball gambling previews for the year.

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Dodgers Calender

FEB. 1-18, 2011 – Salary arbitration hearings
FEB. 14, 2011 – Voluntary Spring Training reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players
FEB. 19, 2011 – Voluntary Spring Training reporting date for non-pitchers and catchers
FEB. 26, 2011 – Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players

Is it just me, or are the Los Angeles Dodgers a team in denial? With plenty of hype surrounding them last year, they struggled to an 80-82 record. Still, they made almost no effort whatsoever to improve over the offseason. Do they really believe last year was a fluke and that this team is still playoff material? And should we trust them?

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
World Series odds: +3000

I’m not buying what the Dodgers are selling – unless it’s Dodger Dogs. Those are delicious.

This team doesn’t have enough offense to make a playoff run. Matt Kemp is a stud…we think. He regressed mightily last year and questions abound about the space between his ears. He’s probably better than his 2010 line – he’s a .285 career hitter who slipped to .249 – but he’s never had good plate discipline. We can’t be positive that he’ll fix his problems.

Andre Ethier is the other guy expected to produce runs in L.A.’s lineup. He’s talented, no doubt, but he wasn’t the same after his wrist injury last year. Hopefully, he’ll bounce back.

I see two problems with the Dodgers’ lineup. First off, they rely on Kemp and Ethier to be the stars. Those two are good players, but they’re not Fielder/Braun, Tulowitzki/Gonzalez or Pujols/Holliday. They’re a tier below. Secondly, Kemp and Ethier don’t have much support. Casey Blake, Jay Gibbons, Juan Uribe and Rod Barajas are a brigade of aging hackers. Rafael Furcal is still an above-average offensive shortstop but never stays healthy. James Loney looks like he’s hitting his ceiling already – and it’s pretty ho-hum.

Optimists can point out that the Dodgers’ lineup isn’t any worse than San Francisco’s, that the Giants won with pitching and that Dodgers have fantastic pitching. But that statement isn’t quite right. Los Angeles has a very good staff (and pitcher’s park) but it’s not on par with San Fran’s group of studs.

Clayton Kershaw is the real deal. Walks be damned, he has filthy stuff. He should contend for the Cy Young annually for the next decade. But no one else after him is an absolute force this rotation. Chad Billingsley has plenty of talent but still struggles with his control and may have peaked. Both Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda are efficient, underrated guys. I don’t have many bad things to say about those two other than that they’re not aces.

Will the Dodgers’ pen rebound? Jonathan Broxton was the game’s most feared closer two years ago but imploded last season. He’ll get a shot at redemption this year but has Kenley Jansen breathing down his neck.

2011 OUTLOOK

I see 2011 as a virtual carbon copy of 2010. The Dodgers’ pitching staff will be their strength but it’s not so dominant that it can win them a division title the way San Francisco’s staff did last year. And I really don’t like L.A.’s lineup, which is comprised mostly of washed-up free swingers. A .500 campaign seems about right for the Dodgers this season.

Prediction: 3rd, National League West

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By Shea Matthews

Shea Matthews the Senior Writer at CP. Lives and breathes sports. He made the transition from athlete to sports journalist at a young age, writing in TV & national papers. Shea applies his knowledge to sports betting + handicapping daily, and shares winning picks with the world.