The Los Angeles Dodgers look for their second straight win against the slumping San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick.
San Diego currently stands at 68-59 and is 41-27 at home. If you put $100 on every single Padres game so far this season, you’d be down $1,340 on the moneyline.
Los Angeles currently stands at 79-47 and is 37-26 on the road. If you put $100 on every single Dodgers game so far this season, you’d be down $483 on the moneyline.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the Dodgers-Padres odds.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Los Angeles Dodgers ML (-141)
San Diego Padres ML (+130)
Over 8 Runs (-105)
Under 8 Runs (-115)
Why The Dodgers Could Win This Game
Los Angeles will send its best pitcher, and the NL Cy Young favorite, to the mound. Walker Buehler has been dominant all year, pitching to a 2.11 ERA in 25 starts.
The young ace has been nearly untouchable in the month of August, holding a 1.69 ERA in four starts. What's most impressive about Buehler has been his ability to miss bats and give the Dodgers length.
In his last five starts, Buehler gave Dodgers a minimum of six quality innings in each appearance. He racked up 39 Ks in just 33 2/3 innings in the same span. Against a Padres team that has struggled to put the bat on the ball of late (26 strikeouts in their last three games), we could see another K parade in this one.
The Dodgers have a substantial starting pitching advantage against Blake Snell. Snell currently holds an ERA of 4.82 and has been extremely inconsistent all year for the Padres.
In 23 starts this year, Snell has only pitched past the fifth inning in five of them. This makes it more than likely that a Padres bullpen that badly needs relief will find none.
The lefty has really struggled with his control throughout the season, walking 65 batters in just 106 innings. The Dodgers, who draw the second-most walks in the league and see the most pitches per plate appearance, are primed to take advantage of this.
The Padres' bullpen is great, but we've seen it crack of late. In their last two bullpen games, they allowed 12 earned runs in 18 innings. If the Dodgers can run up Snell's pitch count early, the Padres and their bullpen are in for another long night.
Why The Padres Could Win This Game
Blake Snell has been up and down all year, but there are several factors that point to a possible strong outing from the lefty in this game.
For one, Snell is in his best stretch of the season. His ERA in August is a minuscule 2.45, far and away his best ERA of any month this season. The southpaw has pitched in four straight outings in which he has given San Diego at least five innings and given up no more than three earned runs. This is the first time Snell has accomplished this in a Padres uniform.
Additionally, Snell's numbers against the Dodgers are very solid. Everyone remembers Snell's excellent outing against the Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series in which he pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed only one earned, and was probably pulled too early. But he has also had recent success against L.A.
Snell has faced Los Angeles three times this season and pitched one scoreless outing along with two five-inning outings in which he only allowed two earned in each. More importantly, the Padres won two of his three starts against the Dodgers. He should at least give them a fighting chance to make it three wins.
At the plate, the Padres have the unenviable task of facing Walker Buehler. However, if any team has a chance against Buehler, it's the Friars.
Buehler has only allowed more than one earned run in 12 of his 25 starts. Two of those came against San Diego.
The Padres always put up a fight against Buehler and have actually beaten him in two of their last three matchups. The top of the lineup in particular has gotten to the flamethrower. Fernando Tatis Jr., Trent Grisham, and Manny Machado are a combined 11-for-35 lifetime against Buehler with four home runs. Don't count out the Padres doing at least a little damage to the Dodgers ace.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick
The Dodgers are the second-hottest team in the league right now, second to only the Yankees, who have won 11 straight. To get them at -141 with their best pitcher on the mound is an opportunity that can't be passed up. Taking into account that Blake Snell has been shaky for nearly the entire season, this could be a dominant Dodgers victory. Even if Snell navigates this Dodgers lineup with little damage, I don't see the Padres scoring much off Buehler. Take the Dodgers all the way to -150.
FINAL DODGERS-PADRES PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES DODGERS ML (-141)
Follow Us
Subscribe