This is the series finale between these two SoCal rivals and adding a packed stadium only has raised the level of intensity. What will tonight hold?
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
Wednesday, June 23 – 10:10 PM EDT at Petco Park
The Dodgers ran into a buzzsaw on Monday night and trailed 4-0 in the bottom of the first before most people had finished half of their $13 beer and were manhandled 6-2. Tuesday was close but the Padres still won 3-2, picking up ground on L.A.
San Diego has a 6-3 lead in the season series in 2021 as we head into tonight’s tilt. Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review) and other top sportsbooks have the MLB odds closer than two people in a Mini-Cooper stuck in a traffic jam on the 405 in Los Angeles, with the Padres a -108 home favorite. Who has the edge, let’s break it down.
Dodgers Trying to Cope Without Regulars
Dodger Blue is 44-29 (-3.3 units) and trailing the San Francisco Giants by a few games in the NL West. While more than enough of @Pantone294 (Twitter for Dodgers fans) think their team should be having a better season, it’s not been that easy. Imagine any team not having their versions of Cory Seager, Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy (returned yesterday) in their everyday lineup?
This has caused manager Dave Roberts’ offense to be less stable, bouncing up and down more frequently than they have the last few years. Their 5.2 runs a game is still tops in the senior circuit, yet, much of that has come against weaker competition and where the problems arise is when the Dodgers are facing the better squads like the Padres.
Padres Thrilled to Be at Petco Park
Among the top stadiums to visit is Petco Park in lovely San Diego. It embraces all the modern elements that Camden Yards first invoked, with new touches. A week ago today, the Padres (44-32, -2.2) were wrapping up a dull six-game road trip in Colorado (1-5) and looked ready to sleep in their own beds. Since taking the field last Thursday, the Friars have not needed a rosary to turn things around, as they are 6-0 and averaging 5.5 RPG.
Nevertheless, in good or bad times, Fernando Tatis Jr. is the Reggie Jackson of his day (google if you don’t know), - The Straw that Stirs the Drink. His skill and infectious enthusiasm keep his teammates fired up. At 27-14 at Petco, the Padres are a tough out at home.
Pitching Breakdown
As opposed to stirring a drink, Trevor Bauer likes to stir the whole pot. Bauer (7-5, 2.45 ERA) has always been a loose cannon, which is partly why he is with his fourth different team. His attitude and demeanor have likely held him back from reaching his fullest potential. Yet, when dialed in, the skill is obvious. Though left-hand batters are not tearing the cover off the ball against Bauer, right-handed hitters have a paltry .131 batting average versus the Dodgers righty.
Joe Musgrove (4-6, 2.28) likes his teammates too much to sue them, but he might have potential grounds to do so for – Lack of Support. In his six setbacks, they have scored five runs, not having touched home plate more than once. The big change in Musgrove’s season, command. His walk-to-strikeouts are a career-best 5.8. Also, more movement with control has taken the right-hander from a hit and inning hurler to 0.63 hits per inning.
Game Prediction
Neither pitcher has enjoyed success against who they are facing with Bauer 1-4 (team’s record) with a 4.05 ERA and Musgrove 1-3 (team’s record), posting a 6.51 ERA. That leaves us to look elsewhere for MLB picks. We could only find other positives and negatives for both clubs, so we dug into baseball systems and found the best one for this encounter.
Play Against NL home teams like the Padres with a slugging percentage below .400, against a starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.25 or lower, with a hot starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.10 or lower over his last 10 starts. Teams like San Diego are 17-36 since 2016 and 5-12 most recently when this situation pops up.
MLB Pick: Dodgers +100 ML at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
