San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Preview/Prop Picks
04 September 2022
Time: 7:08 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego 15.900; LA Dodgers 14.628
Dunkel Line & Total: San Diego by 1 ½; 11
Vegas Line & Total: LA Dodgers (-163); 9
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+137); Over
We’ve got an NL West showdown as the San Diego Padres face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres, with a record of 74-60, are the second-place team in the division. Behind by 18 games, any wins over the Dodgers will help, but they’re unlikely to win the division.
This game would be, however, a statement win for the Padres. So, can they pull off a win over Los Angeles tonight?
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a 91-41 record, the best record in the league. They’ve been able to amass such a strong record with great batting and incredible pitching.
Tonight, they’ll look to hand the Padres another loss. Last night, they beat the Padres 12-1, a commanding victory. With Caleb Ferguson on the mound, the Dodgers will look to earn their 92nd win.
San Diego Padres: Mike Clevinger will get the nod tonight
Before we get into who will be on the mound tonight, let’s take a look at the batters. The Padres have a batting group that is hitting .241 this season.
This batting average ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. One of their biggest problems tonight will be scoring runs against the Dodgers. With an average such as that, the Padres will need to do better in order to win.
Getting the start on the mound tonight is Mike Clevinger. Clevinger has had a rough patch lately, boasting a 5-5 record with a 3.59 ERA. Over the course of 85.1 innings, Clevinger has thrown 73 strikeouts but also allowed 12 home runs.
The good news is he has a good batting group to back him up, led by Manny Machado. Machado has an average of .306 with 26 home runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Caleb Ferguson takes the mound for LA
Tonight will definitely be a battle of pitchers, with Caleb Ferguson getting the start. Ferguson has a record of 1-0 with a 1.85 ERA this season. The problem is, however, that Ferguson has pitched only 24.1 innings this season.
After not spending much time on the mound, it could be tough for Ferguson to get batters out. We’ll have to see how well equipped he is to win here.
Playing at home, the Dodgers have a record of 46-17, one of the best in Major League Baseball. They have a batting average of .261, which ranks second in the league.
However, before last night’s win, the Dodgers lost three games in a row, one of which was to the Padres. As they prepare to face the Padres again, the Dodgers will need to keep that previous loss in mind.
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Pick
This game is an interesting one, as the Dodgers seem like the better pick. However, Clevinger has spent more time on the mound this season.
The reason why this matters is he’s seen more batters than Caleb Ferguson. Because of this, he has a better idea of how to shut down the batters of the Dodgers.
The Padres are also +137 in this game, providing better winnings. If Clevinger can slow down the Dodgers batters, they should be able to come away with a win tonight. The Padres also have a 39-32 record on the road this season, which is impressive.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: San Diego Padres +137, OVER
Prop Picks
San Diego (+115) OVER 4.5 Runs
San Diego is averaging 4.43 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 14 in MLB. That average increases to 4.96 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in three of the Padres last five road games versus the Dodgers.
With Dunkel predicting a San Diego victory by the score of 6-5, take the Padres (+115) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against the Dodgers.
Mookie Betts (-150) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Betts has scored 104 runs in 114 games played this season, which ranks No. 1 on the Dodgers. The right fielder has scored 16 runs in 34 at-bats with an OPS of 1.365 against San Diego.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas run total, take Betts (-150) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Padres.
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