Division Leaders Dodgers And Brewers Set To Battle

Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers are the leaders of their respective divisions. The Dodgers sit 3.5 games up on the San Francisco Giants in the NL West, while the Brewers 2.5-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Neither team can really afford to take a loss, which is why this series is so important.

The last time these two teams met the Brewers won 4-1, padding their division lead and putting the Dodgers one back so they could feel the Giants breathing down their necks. However, this game is going to be different, in that the NL Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw will be taking the mound for the Dodgers.

Kershaw is currently in beast mode. He has a 1.82 ERA this season, posting a 1.01 mark over his last 10 starts. Kershaw has not lost a game since way back on May 28.

In his last outing against the Los Angeles Angels, Kershaw had a wobble first few innings but bounced back to pitch four hitless innings to pick up the no decision and keep his streak intact. It is also important to note that Kershaw is 3-0 in his career against the Brewers.

Kershaw will not be the only key player for the Dodgers though. Giving the Brewers pitching staff stress at the moment is first baseman Adrian Gonzalez who has hit home runs in both of the previous games in this series.

Jimmy Nelson will be tasked with containing Gonzalez and out dueling Kershaw. Nelson joined Milwaukee in July and had a tough time adjusting. However, he has turned in three consecutive quality starts. Nelson has a 4.20 ERA overall.

In his last outing, Nelson pitched six innings. The only slip up in that performance was allowing a three-run home run.

Nelson has been doing battle with an All-Star list of pitchers in his first outings with the Brewers. He has gone head-to-head with Adam Wainwright, Homer Bailey, Jacob deGrom and Tim Lincecum. He will be pitching against Kershaw in his next two times taking the mound.

The Dodgers are favored to win with a -160 moneyline. The moneyline for the Brewers is set at +145.  The game starts at 2:10 p.m. ET.