MLB Regular Season: Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres Series Preview
LA's Lineup Is Firing On All Cylinders
When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani this offseason, it firmly entrenched Dave Roberts’ team’s lineup as not only one of the best in baseball right now but maybe ever. And, through a month-plus of the season, that lineup is looking close to unstoppable as the Dodgers head south on Interstate 405 to take on the division rival San Diego Padres in a three-game weekend series.
The Dodgers vs Padres odds have Los Angeles as sizable -165 moneyline favorites for Friday’s opener and they’re even-money at -1.5 runs on the runline. The run total is eight runs.
Since losing the first two games of a home series to the Mets nearly three weeks ago, the Dodgers have gone 14-2 to move a season-high 13 games over .500. The most recent victims were the Miami Marlins, who Los Angeles easily dispatched at Dodger Stadium this week with a combined 17-6 run differential over three games.
The bats have been red-hot, the starting rotation (with Walker Buehler back in the fold) has been improving and the bullpen has been lights out. Once again, this Dodger team seems ready for MLB playoff scores in a few months.
The Padres are also playing good baseball, having won their last three series to climb back to .500. They just took two of three from the resurgent Cubs and have been buoyed by a former Marlin — back-to-back batting champion Luis Arraez — who San Diego traded for last weekend. Arraez had two hits and scored two runs in the Padres’ 3-0 win on Wednesday, picking up right where he left off.
Did the Padres need him, per se? Not really but his on-base ability will really help a talented yet frustrating (at times) San Diego lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres 
Day/Time:
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, California
Both Lineups Have Been Productive
It’s not surprising that the Dodgers are first in the Majors in runs scored (or that they’re also first in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS while being second in home runs). What is surprising is that the team right behind Los Angeles in runs scored and average is none other than the Padres.
San Diego is also in the top-ten in OBP, OPS and home runs despite only getting roughly league-average production from Manny Machado and basically nothing from Xander Bogaerts. The Dodgers vs Padres odds do recognize that San Diego’s offensive attack has been impressively balanced so that any part of the order can do damage.
Guys like Jurickson Profar, Jake Cronenworth and Luis Campusano have all been very effective and we can’t forget about Fernando TatÃs Jr., who has taken to being an everyday right fielder. Still, though, the Padres are well behind the Dodgers in terms of power, explosiveness and the general fear they strike in the hearts of opposing pitcher. That’s why siding with Los Angeles is usually one of the best free MLB picks for today (or whenever the Dodgers play).
Ohtani has arguably been the best hitter in baseball so far and Mookie Betts hasn’t been too far behind (albeit with less power). Then, you have to contend with Freddie Freeman doing his usual thing, Will Smith being one of the better all-around catchers, and the duo of Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández bringing big RBI numbers from each side of the plate.
Five different Dodgers have already driven in 26+ runs which is ridiculous. Basically one through six of the Los Angeles lineup is All-Star after All-Star and one and two are probably the leaders in the NL MVP race right now.
Dodgers Have Rotation Edge
Los Angeles will throw Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton and Buehler in the three games against San Diego’s Michael King, Matt Waldron and former Dodger Yu Darvish. This is where the Dodgers really have the advantage as reflected in the Dodgers vs Padres odds. They have the seventh-best starter’s ERA in baseball and do a great job limiting hits and home runs.
Those impressive numbers have been buoyed by Glasnow, who has looked every bit the part of a staff ace through his first eight starts while Paxton — despite a big walk problem that has lessened in recent outings — has been effective since signing with the Dodgers as a free agent. Buehler looked rusty in his season debut and will be innings-limited yet he showed some of the flash that has given him two All-Star nods.
On the flip side, King and Waldron have struggled this season as King has given up 10 home runs in 42 innings while the knuckleballing Waldron is allowing over 10.5 hits per nine innings. He doesn’t strike out many batters so having all of that foot traffic is a recipe for trouble. Darvish has been really good yet he is averaging fewer than five innings per start and may need to rely on a middle-of-the-pack Padre bullpen.
LA Should Win Series
Beyond just Game 1, in which the Dodgers are -165 favorites on the moneyline in Game 1 and are even-money at -1.5 runs on the runline, look for LA to thrive in the MLB live scores all weekend. The Dodgers are just clicking in every conceivable fashion and it’s hard to see how San Diego’s pitching staff can slow them down. That’s why the over eight runs at -105 could also be a good idea.
