Game: Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Starting Pitchers: Walker Buehler vs. Blake Snell
Odds: Dodgers -137, Padres +127
The Dodgers and Padres seem to be headed in different directions. San Diego has lost 10 of its last 12 games and lost its grip on the NL’s second wild-card spot. That now belongs to the Cincinnati Reds who are a game up on the Padres. Making matters even more difficult is the fact that the Dodgers beat San Diego last night and now will put ace Walker Buehler on the mound tonight.
Buehler, who is 13-2 this season, is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award and rightfully so. He has been incredible this season. In 25 starts this season, Buehler has the best ERA in baseball at 2.11. Seventeen of his last 18 turns in the rotation have been quality starts. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of those trips to the mound. He is simply one of baseball’s best pitchers right now and San Diego will have difficulty scoring runs against him.
Add in a Dodgers lineup that is powerful and can score and the Padres are in trouble once again. LA averages 5.17 runs per game, which is third in MLB. The Dodgers are sixth in OPS (.759) which is not surprising. They have one of the toughest lineups in baseball to face as an opposing pitcher.
Speaking of opposing pitchers, the Padres will start left-hander Blake Snell. The former AL Cy Young winner has looked nothing like an elite pitcher this season. In 23 starts this season, Snell is just 6-5 with a 4.82 ERA. Those are not the numbers of a Cy Young pitcher. Neither is this – in those 23 starts, Snell has managed to complete six innings just four times. The other issue for Snell is the Dodgers. LA ranks first in ISO against left-handed pitchers.
Now, Snell has pitched against the Dodgers three times already this season. He has actually done well allowing just four earned runs across 15.1 innings. The Padres won two of those starts and lost the third by a single run (5-4). If Snell can keep the Dodgers under control for his five to six innings, San Diego will have a chance. Keep in mind that the Padres have one of the better bullpens in baseball. San Diego’s bullpen ERA is 3.14, which is third in MLB just ahead of the Dodgers (3.38).
Petco Park is also one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in baseball. The Padres home field ranks as the sixth-most pitcher-friendly stadium in baseball over the past three seasons. That may put the Under in play as tonight’s total is currently sitting at 8. Two of Snell’s starts against LA have resulted in totals of 7 and 5.
The Under has hit in four of the Dodgers last five games and six of the Padres last seven. The Under has also trended for the Padres at home. It has cashed in four of San Diego’s last five games at Petco Park.