Dodgers vs Padres Series Prediction, Preview, Odds and Picks
While the Los Angeles Dodgers are leading the National League West Division, as expected, it is a different deal with the San Diego Padres, who needed to win the last two games just to pull within a game of .500. The Dodgers and Padres were among four teams tied for third in the odds to win the World Series before the season started according to the MLB odds.
The Dodgers are now second at +450 in the World Series odds, but San Diego’s championship odds have moved from +850 to +3500.
The Dodgers look to beat the Padres for the sixth time in a row after San Diego won the first game of the season between the teams. The Dodgers were listed by the MLB spreads as the favorite in five of those matchups.
When looking at MLB predictions, the series opener has the Padres as the favorites.
The series has plenty of star power, featuring four of the eight players with the best odds in the National League Most Valuable Player race set to play. The Dodgers are led by Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts while San Diego counters with Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr.
San Diego is 29-25 at home while the Dodgers are 28-25 on the road and is something to consider in MLB live betting.
In MLB news, Los Angeles infielder Max Muncy left Thursday’s game after being hit by a pitch and he is questionable for the series opener. There are reports that outfielder J.D. Martinez could return on Saturday. He has missed the last three games with a hamstring issue.
When looking at MLB picks, Los Angeles (-800) has the best odds to win the National League West Division title. San Diego is well back at +2800.
Dodgers vs Padres Series Starting Pitchers
- Friday: Bobby Miller (6-2, 4.37 ERA) vs Yu Darvish (8-7, 4.53)
- Saturday: TBA vs Blake Snell (8-8, 2.50)
- Sunday: Lance Lynn (7-9, 6.32) vs Rich Hill (7-10, 4.76)
- Monday: Tony Gonsolin (6-4, 4.11) vs Seth Lugo (4-5, 3-54)
Dodgers: Freeman Ripping It Up
The San Diego Padres pitchers should tread carefully when Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman comes to the plate.
Freeman has at least two hits in 10 of his last 15 games. During that stretch, he is batting .500 with eight doubles, five home runs, 22 runs scored and 13 RBIs.
Some of the hitters around him are struggling a bit so it will be interesting to see if Freeman gets pitched around in the series.
Freeman was 10-for-14 in the recent three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics as the Dodgers remained 2 1⁄2 games ahead of San Francisco in the NL West race.
Eleven of those games finished over the MLB betting lines total thanks in large part to Freeman’s production as he has moved into second place in the National League batting race.
Padres: Unlikely Hitter on Fire
Juan Soto has been sending balls flying out of MLB parks and so has Fernando Tatis Jr. However, they are considered to be two of the most talented hitters in the majors so that can’t be that much of a surprise.
When looking at the options in the star-studded Padres lineup, infielder Ha-Seong Kim is pretty far down the list. It might be time to start paying more attention to him. His 15 home runs are a career-high total and he has gone from hitting .202 as a rookie to .254 in 2022 and is now at .284.
Kim takes a nine-game hitting streak into the series and the last time he failed to get a hit, it was because he walked in two of his four plate appearances. He is batting .467 during the hitting streak with the Padres going 6-3 in those games.
Kim is hitting .250 against the Dodgers this season, but two of his five hits have gone for extra bases. Keep that in mind when looking at the Las Vegas odds.
Dodgers vs Padres Series Head-to-Head
The Dodgers were 15-8 against the Padres last season. However, it was San Diego that won the playoff series to reach the NL Championship Series.
After the Padres won the first game of the year between the NL West rivals, the Dodgers have taken the last five meetings and that includes a pair of wins in San Diego.
All six games have finished under the MLB odds total with no more than seven runs being scored.
Tatis is hitting .375 with five extra-base hits against the Dodgers this season. Betts leads the Dodgers with three home runs against the Padres.
Dodgers vs Padres Series Information
- Game: Dodgers (62-45, first in the NL West) vs Padres (54-55, fourth in the NL West)
- Day/Time: Friday, 9:40 p.m. ET; Saturday, 8:40 p.m. ET, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET; Monday, 4:10 p.m. ET
- Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
- Dodgers vs Padres Live Stream:MLB.tv
Dodgers vs Padres Series Betting Lines
The odds in this chart are posted on the time of publication of the article. They are subject to change without previous notice.
Dodgers vs Padres Series Picks and Prediction
The starting pitching matchups are pretty intriguing with rookie Bobby Miller going up against veteran Yu Darvish in the series opener. The Padres will turn to perhaps the hottest pitcher in baseball in recent days and weeks in Blake Snell while Sunday’s game features two recently acquired pitchers.
These have been two of the top-hitting teams in the majors since the MLB All-Star break ended. The 109 runs scored by the Dodgers ranks second only behind the Chicago Cubs while the Padres tied for fourth with 102 runs scored while ranking third with a .475 slugging percentage.
The Dodgers are 11-7 and the Padres 11-8 since the All-Star Game, and it might surprise some people to realize that the Padres have the best team ERA in the majors.
The Dodgers are 32-21 against the spread on the road, with the Padres covering in just 27 of 54 games at home. The series opener favors San Diego.
