Sunday Night Baseball features a matchup of NL West rivals as the Los Angeles Dodgers (20-14) take on the San Diego Padres (18-16). The Padres will host this one at Petco Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
These two teams have split the first two games of this series. The Padres won Friday’s contest 5-2, while the Dodgers took Saturday’s game 2-1.
The Dodgers are the favorites in this one despite playing on the road. They are -118 to win, while the Padres’ moneyline sits at +100. The runline features San Diego +1.5 (-192), and the over/under for total runs is eight.
Dodgers Look To Move Over .500 On The Road
At 20-14, the Los Angeles Dodgers currently sit first in the NL West. While they have been dominant at home (12-6), they will look to move over .500 on the road as they are currently 8-8. In their last 10 games, the Dodgers are 7-3.
Taking the ball in this primetime matchup is lefty Julio Urias. In seven starts, the 26-year-old is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and he has 45 strikeouts in 39.2 innings of work. In his last start, Urias picked up the win against the Phillies after allowing one earned run in seven innings while also striking out 10.
Max Muncy has been one of Los Angeles’ best hitters thus far. Despite hitting just .227/.392/.608 in 97 at bats, he leads the team in both home runs (12) and runs batted in (28).
As a team, the Dodgers rank fifth in baseball in scoring, averaging 5.58 runs per game (5.07 on the road).
Padres Look For Series Win Against Their Rivals
Currently sitting two games back in the standings, the Padres would love nothing more than to secure a series win Sunday night with a victory over their rivals. To do so, they will have to play better at Petco Park, where they are just 10-10 to this point.
One player to keep an eye on against the Dodgers’ Urias is Manny Machado. In 25 career at bats against the lefty, he is hitting .360 with four home runs and seven runs batted in. Juan Soto and Jake Cronenworth also have home runs off of Urias in their careers.
Overall, shortstop Xander Bogaerts has been the Padres’ most consistent hitter thus far. He is hitting .282/.375/.460 with a team-leading six home runs.
The Padres rank 17th in scoring, averaging 4.30 runs per game (3.71 at home).
On the mound for the Padres is 30-year-old righty Joe Musgrove. In two games, he is 1-0, but he also sports a 10.80 ERA and 1.68 WHIP. Musgrove was shelled in his last outing, giving up seven earned runs over 3.1 innings against the San Francisco Giants.
Take Dodgers To Win On The Road
This should be an exciting rivalry to watch all season long, but the Dodgers might be the right call in this one. It really boils down to the pitching, where Los Angeles has a significant advantage.
Joe Musgrove can be excellent when right, but in his first two outings since returning from injury, he has looked shaky at best. Against an excellent Dodgers’ club, that could spell doom for the Padres.
Furthermore, Julio Urias is one of the best pitchers in the National League. In fact, he currently has the fifth-best odds of winning the NL Cy Young at +1800.
Expect the Dodgers pitching to dominate the night and for Los Angeles to leave San Diego with a series win. Take the Dodgers straight up in this one at -118.
