What to watch Friday night: Ohtani in Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks + more best bets

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Shohei Ohtani will make his final start prior to the 2026 MLB All-Star break when his club hosts the NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night to start a three-game weekend series. First pitch from Dodger Stadium is set for 10:15 p.m. ET.

Ohtani has been battling a number of nagging health ailments but has been cleared to take the mound. He is expected to see limited action for the National League at Tuesday's All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Ohtani (8-2, 1.79 ERA) shut down Arizona on two hits over six scoreless innings while registering the victory on June 3. He also went 3-for-4 with two walks at the plate. The 32-year-old Ohtani is 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in three career starts against Arizona.

Ohtani was 8-for-12 with four runs and two RBIs as the Dodgers took two of three from Arizona in an early June road series. They are 5-2 against the Diamondbacks this season.

The National League West-leading Dodgers have won 12 of their past 16 games entering the series with the Diamondbacks.

Arizona notched a 3-1 victory over host San Diego on Thursday to split a four-game set. The victory was just the fifth in the past 13 games for the Diamondbacks.

Eduardo Rodriguez (7-3, 2.25) is slated to start for the Diamondbacks. The left-hander is an All-Star for the first time in his 11-year career.

"After all these years, it's really special to have the opportunity to finally go to one," Rodriguez told the media. "I thought I was never going to go to one because I'm usually better in the second half. I'm just really happy about it."

The 33-year-old Rodriguez is 2-4 with a 4.74 ERA in nine career starts against the Dodgers. He lost to the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, when he gave up two runs and five hits over six innings.

In addition to this late MLB showcase, we'll look ahead to Saturday's World Cup action and the massive UFC 329 card Saturday in Las Vegas. All times Eastern.

Time: 10:15 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: MLB.TV 

SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 8.5 runs

The SportsLine Projection Model offers a moderate lean on Arizona +1.5 runs at a price of -105, but its strongest plays lies on the Over 8.5 runs. The model's 10,000-game simulation projects an average final score of 5.4-4.1 in favor of the Dodgers, a number that would send this contest past the posted total with a little room to spare. 

The model projects the Over hitting better than 58% of the time, representing a value window when contrasted to the sportsbook implied odds of about 52%. The model also loves the Over 1.5 total bases prop for Arizona third baseman Nolan Arenado, giving the -120 play a five-star rating on a five-star confidence scale. 

Time: 5 p.m. Saturday | Location: Miami | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Expert: England -110 (90 minutes plus added time), Matt Severance 

The 2026 World Cup has reached the quarterfinals stage, and Saturday's doubleheader kicks off with an important match between Norway and England. Both squads are coming off impressive victories, and England managed a 3-2 win over Mexico at Estadio Azteca, while Norway navigated a 2-1 upset of Brazil.

Although the World Cup betting odds suggest a competitive contest, England are listed as the slight favorites, and SportsLine analyst Matt Severance is leaning toward the chalk.

Severance has been locked in during the World Cup, with a record of 20-7-3 for a profit of +842. The veteran SportsLine all-sports handicapper notes that Norway star Erling Haaland could lead the way for an upset. Still, he thinks England are the better overall club and will take the cheaper price to win in regulation and extra time as opposed to laying the "to advance" price of -215. 

Time: 9 p.m. Saturday (main card)  | Location: Las Vegas | Stream: Paramount+

SportsLine pick -- Expert consensus: Holloway -210 

UFC icon Conor McGregor returns from a five-year layoff Saturday to face rival Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, the crown jewel of International Fight Week in the combat sports world.

McGregor and Holloway met 13 years ago, when McGregor was a hyped prospect and Holloway was a relative unknown. McGregor used his ground game to score a decision victory before both fighters would go on to carve championship paths and establish themselves as two of the promotion's dominant champions and prolific showmen.

The brash Irishman memorably became a two-division champion before his UFC trajectory came to a perplexing halt, while the Hawaii native Holloway eventually earned the featherweight title and is best known for his walk-off knockout of Justin Gaethje in the final seconds of their epic UFC 300 clash.

The 34-year-old Holloway opened as a massive -500 favorite at most betting outlets, but the onslaught of action on the 37-year-old McGregor has more than cut this price in half. Holloway is currently a -210 favorite, while McGregor is priced at +175.

SportsLine UFC analysts Danny "Brasco" Vithlani and Josh Nagel are aligned on the top three fights for the main card. Both are predicting a dominant and likely early victory for Holloway, while also backing Paddy Pimblett (+120) over Benoit Saint-Denis (-140) in the lightweight co-main event and veteran bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen (-140) over rising contender Mario Bautista (+120) in their main-card showdown.