After a narrow 2-1 loss to the Astros on Tuesday night, the Dodgers have now dropped five of their past seven games — with four of those defeats coming by a single run. It’s probably nothing more than a blip on the radar for the two-time defending World Series Champions, but at this point, any glimmer of parity is nice for the other 29 teams in MLB.

Can Los Angeles get back on track this afternoon in Houston? Or will the Astros pick up a much-needed series win? Let’s preview this tilt and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Dodgers vs. Astros prediction, preview

The most glaring aspect of this contest is the disparity of the starting pitching matchup. Let’s begin with Tyler Glasnow. The oft-injured right-hander has been the best version of himself so far in 2026. It’s not just that Glasnow’s made all six of his scheduled starts while maintaining a 2.56 ERA and a 2.41 xERA, it’s that’s he’s also worked deep into all these outings. The veteran has gone at least six innings in five of his six appearances, with the lone exception coming his last time out against the Marlins. Glasnow struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs, yet he fought his command all evening long, walking six Miami batters. No matter. 94th percentile marks in strikeout rate (32.6%) and opponent expected batting average (.178) can clean up some free passes quite quickly.

Conversely, it’s been a much tougher go for Lance McCullers Jr. — the one pitcher on the planet who is jealous of Glasnow’s ability to “stay” healthy. Across six starts and 31.1 innings of work in 2026, McCullers is in possession of a 6.32 ERA. Now, that one stat doesn’t paint the whole picture. McCullers’ 54.5% strand rate is hilariously low, especially for a pitcher averaging well over a strikeout per inning, and that’s why the veteran’s 4.52 FIP might be a more accurate representation of his skill level. That said, McCullers wouldn’t have to attempt to strand so many runners if he wasn’t walking a whopping 12.8% of the batters he’s faced. He also wouldn’t have to nibble on the edges of the zone as much as he does if he were still throwing as hard as he did back in 2015 or 2016. It’s all connected.

One thing working in McCullers’ favor on Wednesday is timing. Life’s all about timing, isn’t it? Generally a matchup with the Dodgers is akin to a death sentence for a pitcher, yet Los Angeles’ bats have been ice cold for two weeks now. This isn’t a context thing, either. The Dodgers have just been flat-out awful at producing runs lately. Over the past 14 days, the club ranks 24th in wRC+ (89) and 29th in ISO (.089). Dalton Rushing’s finally cooled off, and it’s a span of games where Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez have combined for only one home run. Obviously this could all change on a dime, but if there were ever a positive moment to oppose this hellacious lineup — it’s right now.

Dodgers vs. Astros pick, best bet

Best Bet: Under 9 (-122)

Glasnow’s 2.41 xERA is the fourth-lowest qualified mark in baseball, while the Dodgers own the league’s second-lowest ISO (.089) across the past two weeks. That combination should be enough to keep this contest relatively low-scoring.

Strong Lean: Lance McCullers Jr. Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-139)

Since striking out nine in his first start of the season, McCullers has gone under this prop in four of his next five starts. Also, despite the club’s recent struggles, the Dodgers still sport MLB’s lowest strikeout rate over the past 14 days (17.3%).