MLB Betting Picks – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres - August 25
Teams headed in opposite directions meet on Wednesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the San Diego Padres in the middle game of a three-game set. A loss to Philadelphia on Sunday was the ninth in 11 games for the Pads, dropping them out of a playoff spot. The Dodgers also lost on Sunday with their setback to the Mets ending a nine-game winning streak. LA has won 13 of its last 15 games and looks to make up for losing seven of the last eight meetings to the Pads. A good pitching matchup is on tap with ERA leader Walker Buehler taking the hill for LA against lefty Blake Snell.
This NL West matchup will air live on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET from Petco Park. Betting options for every game on the 2021 MLB schedule are available at BookMaker.eu.
Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
Date and Time: Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 10 p.m. ET
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Probable Pitchers: Walker Buehler vs. Blake Snell
Opening MLB Odds: Dodgers -145/Total 8
Dodgers at Padres TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
The Dodgers are doing it again. A mediocre run through the first half of the season is followed by a scintillating stretch that has them as the World Series favorite. They own the second-best record in the majors but, unfortunately, the team with the top mark also resides in the NL West. The Dodgers are doing their best to track down the Giants and have slowly closed the gap. It doesn’t look like San Fran is slowing down, though, so the Dodgers have to keep winning.
Despite all the issues with their pitchers, the Dodgers have maintained one of the best staffs in baseball. They entered this series with the best ERA and second-best WHIP while the rotation has produced the second-most quality starts. And they send Cy Young candidate Walker Buehler to the bump on Wednesday. We’ve also seen the offense pick things up. The Dodgers average 5.2 runs per game with a .246 batting average to rank among the top-10 in both categories. And with Cody Bellinger getting hot, they could be more difficult to knock off moving forward.
Manager Jayce Tingler said pitching coach Larry Rothschild wasn’t a scapegoat, though the recent firing has all the earmarks of it. While the Dodgers have maintained solid numbers dealing with injuries and suspension to their rotation, the Padres haven’t. A strength when everyone was healthy, starters have dropped off a cliff lately and the Padres have struggled because of it. Their recent skid dropped them out of a playoff spot for the first time since April. And the offense hasn’t helped out. They cashed the UNDER in seven of nine games ahead of this series.
Probable Pitchers
The Dodgers have had a number of Cy Young Award winners in the past and Walker Buehler (13-2, 2.11 ERA) is next in line. The righty has been dominant all season allowing two earned runs or less in each of his last nine starts while completing at least six innings. He tops the majors in ERA and is second in wins. For the first time in six starts he allowed more than one run when the Mets touched him for two runs last time out. Still, Buehler went 7.2 innings giving up six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Buehler will be making his third start against San Diego this season looking for his first decision. He went seven innings in his last start yielding two runs on four hits. He completed six innings in his first start giving up a pair of runs on seven hits. The teams split those games. With Buehler being so consistent it’s hard to imagine the scuffling Padres offense doing much against him. He’s allowed just 110 hits across 162.1 innings for a sparkling 0.93 WHIP and opponents are hitting just .190 against him.
With their rotation a mess right now the Padres need a strong outing from Blake Snell (6-5, 4.82 ERA). He’s been better over his last four starts going 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA, but he still hasn’t gone deep into games, and that’s something that could be worrisome after a bullpen game opened the series. He pitched past the fifth inning just four times in his 23 starts.
Snell had one of his better outings in his most recent start against the Dodgers tossing five shutout innings in a 3-2 win on June 22. That was his third start against LA with his longest stint lasting 5.1 frames. He recorded a ND in the first two games. Despite his recent success, the lefty has been hittable surrendering 97 knocks over 106.1 innings. He’s yielded 15 big flies, one off his career-high total set in 2018 during his Cy Young campaign with Tampa Bay.
Bet Dodgers at Padres at BookMaker.eu
I don’t want to pile on San Diego but facing one of the best pitchers in the league with a lineup that’s struggled isn’t the best recipe for success. Buehler has been good all season and LA’s offense is doing enough to win a lot of ball games. I’ll back the visitors behind their Cy Young candidate.
MLB Score Prediction: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
