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The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Padres-Dodgers prediction and pick.
The Dodgers took two out of the three games against the Padres in their previous series last weekend. Los Angeles has had an incredible start to this season while San Diego has been underwhelming to say the least. Will the Padres be able to gain ground in the NL West or will Los Angeles continue to dominate the division and the rest of the league?
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Padres-Dodgers odds.
MLB Odds: Padres-Dodgers Odds
San Diego Padres +1.5 (-133)
Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+113)
Over 7.5 Runs (-110)
Under 7.5 Runs (-110)
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
The San Diego Padres had a phenomenal season in 2020, which seemed to be a breakout campaign for this loaded club. After receiving their first playoff birth since 2006, San Diego has begun the 2021 season on a rather sluggish note. The offense has performed well below par over the first 19 games of the season. Padres pitchers have kept this team afloat as they enter this series with a 10-9 record. To their credit, they have been much better on the road going 5-2 away from San Diego. The Padres lineup will need to get it going in this series as they’re currently 24th in runs per game and 25th in home runs per game in the league.
San Diego’s pitching staff has been incredible, allowing 3.4 runs per game in 2021. This is good for fifth-best in Major League Baseball. The Padres will send out rookie left-hander Ryan Weathers for his second start of the season on Thursday night. Weathers is 1-0 on the year with a 0.93 ERA in four appearances and one start. Weathers last start came against the Dodgers on Friday. He allowed one hit and no runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.
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Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the best team in baseball, which isn’t surprising for a team that won the World Series in 2020. They are 14-4 on the season and have been elite in every aspect of the game. Los Angeles is fourth in runs per game, fifth in team batting average, and ninth in home runs per game in the league. This is incredible for a team that has been without its top slugger in Cody Bellinger for all but four games this season. MVP candidate Justin Turner has led this Dodger offense, batting .381 with five home runs and 16 RBI.
Lethal right-hander Walker Buehler will get the ball for Los Angeles in the series opener. Buehler is currently 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts in 2021. Walker’s last start came against this same Padre team last Friday night. The Dodger right-hander gave up two earned runs and seven hits in six innings. Buehler has had a ton of success against San Diego over his career, going 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA against the division rival.
Final Padres-Dodgers Prediction & Pick
Here we go again. Like we’ve said time and time again, any game that features the Los Angeles Dodgers right now makes for an easy pick. They have clear advantages across the board and will be sending out one of the most electrifying arms in the league in this game. Los Angeles is 6-0 at home this season and is currently riding a 14-game home winning streak dating back to last season. Take the Dodgers to win the opener in Los Angeles with confidence.
FINAL PICK: Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-170)
