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A tale as old as time! With the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres renewing their rivalry at Petco Park on Friday night, who will be the first team to draw blood in this divisional matchup? Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick will be revealed.
The Dodgers have won nine of their first 12 games to start off the year and will look to improve to 10-3 versus the Padres. Southpaw Julio Urias will get the call to start in this one, as he is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in a pair of outings.
After getting off to a slow start, the Padres might be starting to click, as they are entering Friday after just recently sweeping the Cinncinati Reds at home. On the bump against a dangerous Dodgers lineup will be RHP Nick Martinez, who began the season on the right foot by allowing one run in five innings pitched versus the Giants, but followed that up with a loss at home against Atlanta in which he gave up four runs on seven hits. The Padres are now 9-5 on the season, good for second place in the NL West.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Dodgers-Padres MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+104)
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-125)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
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Why The Dodgers Could Cover the Spread
So far the best team in baseball during the opening weeks of the season, Los Angeles is expected to have an advantage in most games they play simply due to their sheer dominance at the dish and on the mound. While all teams have bad games and will experience slip-ups, Los Angeles rarely shoots themselves in the foot and puts the pressure on the opposition to make plays that will change the tide of the game.
Just when you thought this squad couldn't get any better on the diamond, they acquired 1B Freddie Freeman, and it has proved to be one of the best acquisitions in the league thus far. Hitting .333 and driving in seven runs in the last week of play, Freeman provides a steady bat that can inflict unforgiving damage at any point in a game. Not only is Freeman been on a tear, but look no further than SS Trea Turner, who is leading the team in RBIs with ten. Los Angeles is currently fifth in the league in runs scored, fifth in on-base percentage, and is eighth in slugging percentage.
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The key for the Dodgers in covering the spread will be getting after Martinez early, as he can tend to struggle with his control when things aren't going his way. Not to mention, Urias has historically been dominant when matched up against San Diego, as the Mexican native is 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA dating back to 2016.
The Dodgers are 15-6 in their previous 21 meetings with the Friars at Petco, as the Padres are also a lowly 11-25 in the last 36 matchups against NL West opponents.
Why The Padres Could Cover the Spread
San Diego may be missing their franchise superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., but that has yet to slow them down in 2022. Indeed, the Padres got off to a slow start, but have rebounded nicely and only sit one game back of the Dodgers for first place in the division. Like the rest of the NL West and the entire league for that matter, recent success versus Los Angeles has come few and far between.
Surprisingly enough, the Friars have generated more offense than LA to start off the year, as San Diego has generated 61 runs total, good for seventh in the majors.
Apparently, the fountain of youth resides within the San Diego clubhouse, as 1B Eric Hosmer has turned back the clock with a .378 batting average, good for the best mark on the Padres roster. Hosmer is a big reason for the success on offense, as he's been able to punish opposing pitching without hitting a home run yet to begin 2022.
The most obvious reason the Friars are going to stand a chance in this one and cover the spread will be because of Martinez. The 31-year-old Florida native has to keep the ball in the yard, something he did not do against Atlanta when he allowed three long balls to the Braves lineup. A team like the Dodgers loves hitting balls out of the park, so Martinez must have the awareness to not throw anything too good to hit versus this treacherous lineup. If Martinez can hand it off to the bullpen without getting shelled, then the Padres may have a shot. San Diego relievers have a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings of work so far in 2022.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick
For some reason, the Padres have lost six straight games following a day of rest, and chances are a seventh consecutive defeat will be in the cards, The Dodgers average 5.5 runs per game, as San Diego will struggle in keeping LA off of the scoreboard.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (+104)
