Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres Betting Preview
Wednesday night features the second game of a three-game set between N.L. West rivals as the Los Angeles Dodgers (79-47) take on the San Diego Padres (68-59). The Padres will host this one at Petco Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 10:10 pm ET.
Los Angeles was able to take the opener of this series 5-2 on Tuesday. In the win, Will Smith hit his 19th home run of the season while Julio Urias pitched five scoreless innings and struck out four.
In the loss, Jurickson Profar hit a two-run home run, but it was still not enough. Relying on a bullpen game, the Padres used eight pitchers to get through the loss.
The Dodgers are the favorites playing at home. They are -148 to win while the Padres’ moneyline sits at +126. The runline features San Diego +1.5 (-146), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5 (-110).
Pitching Matchup
The Dodgers will send their young ace Walker Buehler to the mound Wednesday. On the season, Buehler is 13-2 with a 2.11 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and has struck out 170 in 162.1 innings.
The Padres will counter with southpaw Blake Snell (6-5, 4.82 ERA). After a rough start to his season, Snell has pitched better as of late. In fact, in his last three starts, he has allowed just five runs over 17 innings with 28 strikeouts in that span.
By The Numbers
Offensively, both of these teams rank in the top ten in terms of scoring. The Dodgers rank third, averaging 5.18 runs per game (5.42 on the road). The Padres rank 10th averaging 4.69 runs per game.
In terms of pitching, the Dodgers have the best staff ERA in baseball. They collectively have a 3.07 ERA on the year. The Padres rank ninth with an ERA of 3.73 (3.35 at home).
Dodgers Look To Keep Pressure On The Giants
While the Dodgers have a commanding 10-game lead for the first Wild Card spot, they would love to still challenge the Giants for the N.L. West crown. Currently 2.5 games back of San Francisco, they will look to secure a series win on Wednesday.
Leading the way offensively for the Dodgers is first baseman Max Muncy. On the year, he is hitting .265/.394/.551 and leads the team in home runs (28) and runs batted in (76).
Another player to keep an eye on is Chris Taylor. Not only has he had a great season this year (.280 avg, 18 HR), but he also has gone two for six with a home run in his career against Blake Snell.
Padres Trying To Stop Slide
For the first three months of the season, the San Diego Padres were one of the hottest teams in baseball, with a record of 49-33. Since then, they have gone a miserable 19-26 and now sit a game back of the Reds for the second Wild Card spot.
Trying to get back on track, the Padres will turn to their superstar shortstop-turned-outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr and the rest of the offense to get them rolling. This season, Tatis is hitting .287/.369/.649 with 34 home runs, 76 runs batted in, 84 runs, and 24 stolen bases.
Those stats are good enough to put him as the favorite to win N.L. MVP at -270.
Tatis has also had success against Walker Buehler in his career. In 13 at-bats against the righty, he is hitting .308 with two home runs.
Trent Grisham has also had some success going three for eight with a pair of home runs.
Take The Dodgers To Win
Even though Blake Snell has pitched better lately, Walker Buehler has been one of the best pitchers in baseball all season. In fact, he is the current favorite to win the N.L. Cy Young Award with odds at +110.
With Buehler on the mound and a potent Dodgers lineup, it is tough to see the Padres winning this one.
Take the Dodgers to win on the road.
