A premier NL West showdown on the West Coast will be underway on Monday to kick off the work week as the San Diego Padres take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in a divisional rivalry. Let's check out our MLB odds series where our Padres-Dodgers prediction and pick will be revealed.

There simply is no way around it… the San Diego Padres entered the 2023 season with massive expectations but have proved to be a letdown. As it stands, the Padres are an unbelievable ten games under .500 and have no sights on a playoff berth despite a plethora of talent on this roster. Still, there is no question that the Padres hate the Dodgers, and they will send out RHP Pedro Avila who possesses a 1-2 record to go along with a 2.19 ERA.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers just keep on winning. With their 87-55 record and currently with a 13-game chokehold on the NL West, LA is well on their way to capturing their tenth division title in the last eleven years. With their continued dominance over the NL West, the Dodgers are also one of the best teams in baseball and will call upon RHP Gavin Stone who is 1-0 but currently boasts an ugly 10.50 ERA in three 2023 starts.

Here are the Padres-Dodgers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Padres-Dodgers Odds

San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-137)

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+114)

Over: 10 (-104)

Under: 10 (-118)

How To Watch Padres vs. Dodgers

TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 9:10 ET/7:10 PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread

Entering 2023, many believed that it was the Padres time to live up to expectations and pass up the Dodgers in the NL West and even sent Los Angeles home packing after beating them a year ago in the NLDS by taking them down in four games. However, the Padres have simply not taken advantage of that situation and are still well behind the Dodgers on the diamond.

Nevertheless, it may be a lost season, but there is still a chance that San Diego can play well enough to cover the spread on this Monday night under the lights. For starters, if the ‘Friars have any chance of covering the spread, they will need to figure out a way to keep the Dodgers offense at bay. Indeed, San Diego's pitching arms have done their jobs in 2023 as they currently boast the fourth-best ERA in baseball with a 3.86 mark and have dialed up a whopping 66 quality starts.

However, it has been a scuffling offense that has been able to score enough to keep the team in games. The pitching has been formidable and opportunistic, but these bats have squandered multiple chances all year long. Still, this is a lineup with the likes of Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Boegarts that could provide some fireworks at the plate this evening. If the Padres are going to play the role of spoiler, look no further than an improvement with RISP as the Friars went 0-5 in that category in their 12-2 defeat against the Astros.

Why The Dodgers Could Cover The Spread

The big and mighty Dodgers are here to stay and have proven time and time again that they are bonafide contenders in 2023. Not only that, but this is a Los Angeles squad that tends to perform well against the spread with an 81-61 record ATS. With that being said, will the Dodgers' sheer talent be enough to cover tonight?

In order to answer that question, we must look at a larger sample size between the Dodgers and Padres this season. Overall, Los Angeles has gone 8-2 versus their in-state rivals and have not messed around against them in 2023. Over the course of those eight games, the Dodgers have performed under a similar theme: keeping the Padres' often explosive offense at bay and torching San Diego with the long ball. Overall, the Dodgers have the second-best slugging percentage in the entire league and also have held opposing hitters from the mound to a measly .237 batting average. Bottom line, the Dodgers must rely on the long ball and a stellar performance from the mound to cover and defeat the Padres for the ninth time this year.

Not to mention, the usual starts in Freeman and Betts have provided huge stat lines in 2023, but it has been the rest of this lineup that has stepped up in a big way. Alas, don't be surprised if names like Max Muncy, J.D. Martinez, and James Outman to do some damage at the plate as this trio have combined for 52 home runs and 382 total bases. Simply put, the Padres may find it difficult to quiet this lineup for an entire nine innings of play.

Final Padres-Dodgers Prediction & Pick

The hate is real between these two franchises, but only one is the better squad. Put your faith in the Dodgers to handle business like they have all year long.

Final Padres-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (+114)