MLB Odds: Padres

Jul 26, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres for Game 2 of a 3-game series in LA! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Padres-Dodgers prediction and pick.

The Padres are struggling right now. Just last week, the stars were bright as they had won three in a row and defeated the Dodgers in Game 1 of the series last weekend. Now, the Padres have lost five of their last six games and have fallen below .500 once again. At (19-20) this squad has an uphill battle ahead. The Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in second in the NL West ahead of the Padres at (21-18) as the Dodgers lead at (24-15).

If the Dodgers win this series tonight, then it's looking like they might just run away with the division once again. The rotation is deep despite early struggles and the lineup is coming together. They are 4th in runs scored with 212 already on the season and have won four straight games. This should be an exciting matchup on FOX tonight.

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

San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-156)

Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (+130)

Over: 8.5 (-110)

Under: 8.5 (-110)

TV: FOX

Stream: FOX App

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Time: 7:15 ET/4:15 PT

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On the bump for the Padres is Joe Musgrove. Musgrove's last start came against the Dodgers last Sunday night where he pitched very well. The right-hander has started just three games this season as he began the year on the IL due to a foot injury. It took him just a few starts to get it together and he found his groove against a tough lineup. Musgrove finished with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings and allowed just one unearned run. On the season, Musgrove is (1-0) with a 6.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. It should be noted that his ERA is a bit extended after his start in Mexico City where both teams scored a combined 27 runs.

It won't matter how well Musgrove pitches if the Padres can't figure it out offensively. They have scored just eight runs in their last three games and they rank dead last in the MLB hitting with runners in scoring position. After starting the season on fire for his Padres debut, Xander Bogaerts has struggled offensively. His batting average has dropped to .266 as he has just five hits in the month of May. The Friars desperately need him to get back on track as it looks like Juan Soto might finally be figuring things out. Opposite of Bogaerts, Soto has 15 hits this month and his batting average has risen to .255.

Rexwell Villas · 3 hours ago

Alex House · 4 hours ago

Anthony Riccobono · 6 hours ago

Starting for the Dodgers is southpaw Julio Urias. Urias is (4-3) with a 3.77 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. His last start came against the Padres last Sunday night as well. His outing started rough allowing two runs in the first inning but he figured things out and kept them scoreless for the rest of his start. His performance at home is much better than on the road. He is (3-1) with a 1.82 ERA in Dodger Stadium and should see some success again tonight.

Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Will Smith are playing extremely well right now. Rookie James Outman is turning into a star and Max Muncy is hitting nukes. Every one of those players has a WAR above 1.1 on the season and at this rate, they might find a way to be the No. 1 offense in baseball once again. LA is 2nd in the MLB in home runs with 66 and 4th in RBIs with 208. Expect them to score a few runs on Musgrove tonight to put them in a position to cover this spread.

It's only been four games this year but the Dodgers lead 3-1. They are still ticked off about the playoff loss to the Padres last postseason and look to continue to pound on them. Until the Padres can score some runs consistently then don't count on them to beat the good teams.

Final Padres-Dodgers Prediction & Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (+130); Under 8.5 (-110)