The San Diego Padres (18-15) host the Los Angeles Dodgers (19-14) for Game 2 of the 3-game series at Petco Park. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Dodgers-Padres prediction and pick.
The Dodgers' win streak came to a halt last night after the Padres took Game 1 of the 3-game set. Clayton Kershaw allowed two home runs to Fernando Tatis Jr. which was ultimately the deciding factor in the outcome. After a record-breaking season for the Dodgers in 2022, it was the Padres who eliminated them and only allowed the Dodgers to win one game in that best-of-five series. LA is trying to get back to their winning ways against their NL West rival.
The Friars are finally starting to come alive. After a slow start, they have won eight of their last 12 games and they are scoring runs at a high rate. The Dodgers always give the Padres a tough test and these next two games are important as they will face each other again next weekend in LA.
Yu Darvish is coming off another quality start where he allowed just four hits and one run in 6.2 innings pitched. The WBC champion struck out six and walked just one Dodger hitter.
Here are the Dodgers-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Padres Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: +1.5 (-194)
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+160)
Over: 8.5 (-106)
Under: 8.5 (-114)
How To Watch Dodgers vs. Padres
TV: Bally Sports San Diego, Spectrum Sports Network LA
Stream: fuboTV, MLB Extra Innings
Time: 8:40 ET/5:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread
On the bump for the Dodgers is right-hander Dustin May. May is an extremely valuable piece for the Dodgers as they are ecstatic that he is back healthy. It took him some time to get back to normal but this season he is showing that he can be a great starter in this league. In 34.1 innings pitched, the right-hander is (3-1) with a 3.15 ERA and a WHIP of 0.99. May has allowed only one home run this season and only eight extra-base hits combined. If he can continue to pitch at this rate, then hitters will continue to struggle against May and his filthy sinker.
The offense struggled last night facing former Dodger Yu Darvish. It doesn't get much better tonight as they are facing Blake Snell who is notorious for pitching well against LA. This squad also doesn't hit southpaws very well either. Mookie Betts, James Outman, and David Peralta are the only three batting over .286 against southpaws this season. This is the game where the Dodgers need Freedie Freeman and Max Muncy to avoid the downward trends against left-handed pitching. If those two can find a way to get on base then this lineup has the chance to do damage.
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned above, it's bumpday for the Padres. Snell is on the mound coming off his best performance of the season. Snell is only (1-4) on the campaign but if you have paid attention to his career, he has always started alow outside of his 2018 CY Young winning season. The lefty has produced a 5.28 ERA but has K'd up 33 hitters in 29 innings. He has a 10.2 K/9 which leads the team outside of closer Josh Hader. The walks are the problem for Snell. If he can limit those tonight against this elite Dodgers' squad, then the Padres will be in a position to cover this spread.
The offense is a whole different animal with Fernando Tatis Jr. leading off. The 24-year-old is batting just .267 on the year but has hits in 10 of his last 11 games and already has a WAR of 0.4. The young star has played in just 13 games this season and after what he did last night, it's safe to say that he is full of surprises. Tatis Jr. became the first player ever to have two multi-homerun games against the legend Clayton Kershaw. There is just something about the name Tatis and hitting home runs against the Dodgers.
After a huge start to his Padres' tenure, Xander Bogaerts has slowed down a bit. His batting average has dropped to .283 but leads the team in hits and home runs. It's only been 13 games with Tatis, but the Padres lineup hasn't really “clicked” all at once. They scored 16 runs in Mexico City … but let's be honest, the 8,000+ ft elevation had those balls flying out of the yard. Tatis, Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Juan Soto all hit a homer in that game but that is the only time we have seen them all hit well. Once that happens, then this lineup can be very scary.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick
The intensity will be electric Saturday night at Petco Park. This has the makings for another great game and I expect the Dodgers to keep this one a one-run game at least. Dodgers +114 ML is also a great option as well.
Final Dodgers-Padres Prediction & Pick: Dodgers +1.5 (-194)
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