Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Diego Padres host the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 2 of a Mothers Day Weekend series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick.
The Dodgers and Padres play Game 1 Friday night with Tyler Glasnow facing Michael King, the two newcomers into the NL West rivalry.
LA enters the weekend leading the division at (26-13). Per usual, the Dodgers ran out of the gates a little slow but after about three weeks into the season, they began to figure it out quickly. The Dodgers have won seven straight games and eight of their last 10. Believe it or not, these teams have faced twice already as they began the campaign by splitting a 2-game series in Seoul, South Korea. In their next meeting, the Padres took the series in Los Angeles. Since then, LA has swept the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.
The Padres are (20-20) on the season after coming off three-straight series wins against the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, and recently the Chicago Cubs. The Padres regular season will be a rollercoaster but after trading for Luis Arraez last weekend, the Padres now have one of the deepest lineups in baseball. The potential is clear and if they can take advantage of it, then we could see this team back in the postseason. They aim to take down the Dodgers to win back-to-back series against them for the first time in quite some time.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+105)
Moneyline: -144
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-126)
Moneyline: +122
Over: 9 (-105)
Under: 9 (-115)
How to Watch Dodgers vs. Padres
Time: 8:40 ET/5:40 PT
TV: MLB.TV, SportsNet LA
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Dodgers Will Cover The Spread/Win
Starting for the Dodgers is southpaw James Paxton. The former Seattle Mariner is (4-0) on the year with a 3.06 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 32.1 innings. The 35-year-old is coming off a quality start against the Atlanta Braves where he allowed just one run in 6.2 innings. He has already pitched against the Friars this season where he allowed three runs off of just three hits. The issue, however, was that he walked a head-scratching eight hitters. Eight hitters getting a free pass in five innings is something we rarely see and if he wants to avoid losing in back-to-back starts against SD, then finding his location must be his top priority. The good news was he earned a no-decision in that contest to stay perfect for the year.
Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani are the two frontrunners for MVP right now. It could end up that they compete against each other all season long. They both have 53 hits or more, at least 27 RBIs, and are batting at least .346 or better with an OPS over 1.006. Those are insane numbers just a month into the year. Expect those two to hit the ball very well this series.
Joe Kelly, Bobby Miller, Evan Phillips, and Connor Brogdon all remain on the 15-day IL as of Friday. The bullpen will be short-handed in this series.
Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win
Toeing the slab for the Friars is right-hander Matt Waldron. The 27-year-old is (1-4) on the year with a 5.82 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched. At this rate, he won't last much longer in the rotation if he continues to allow multiple runs per start. He allowed seven in his last start to the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Dbacks went on to win 11-4. However, in his one start against LA this year, he allowed only one run off three hits. Waldron will need to find his groove from that night and if he does, SD will have a chance to take Game 2 Saturday night.
Remember when Dodgers' catcher Will Smith said Jurickson Profar was “irrelevant.” He could not have been further from the truth. Taking the game of baseball out of the picture, Profar is one of the more important veterans in that clubhouse. His attitude and love for the game does not go unnoticed. He's got more home runs than Smith, more RBIs, and a higher OPS, all while moving up and down in the lineup. I'd say that is pretty relevant. Profar has been the best offensive player for the Padres this season and if he continues to stay hot, then they will make a lot of noise.
Joe Musgrove remains on the 15-day IL and will not start in this series.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick
The Padres offense was patient against Paxton in the first meeting and I expect that to be the case again. Take the Padres to cover the spread at home as the Over at 9 runs also hit in a high-scoring contest.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres +1.5 (-126), Over 9 (-105)
