The red-hot and surging San Diego Padres clash against their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the finale of a key three-game MLB Baseball matchup, set for Thursday night inside famed Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
They toss out the first pitch at 10:10 p.m. Both teams have clinched spots in the postseason, but the NL West is still up for grabs. Bookmaker has installed the Dodgers -125 ML.
The Padres have been on a tear, and they punched their playoff ticket with a critical 4-2 win over the Dodgers in the opener of this series. They have a shot at winning the division, which would be remarkable considering how well the Dodgers have played all season long. It looked like Los Angeles would run away with the NL West, but they have cooled off in the second half of the season.
San Diego clinched a spot with a very rare and wild game-ending triple play, and maybe that is a sign of things to come for a franchise that is dying to get back to the World Series. This season might be different for them as they have finally started to put it all together.
They have one of the best offenses in baseball, and all that money they spent on star power seems to be paying off. They are led on offense by veteran third baseman Manny Machado, who has turned back the clock and put together a very solid 2024 campaign. He has cracked a team-high 29 home runs while driving in 104 RBI.
The Padres will hand the ball over to Joe Musgrove, who sports a record of 6-5 with an ERA of just under four runs per start.
The Dodgers might be in trouble, as they are playing some of their worst baseball at the most inopportune time. They need to regroup and get their offense in gear. They have been hit-or-miss over the last month of the season and now have some pressure on them to win the division.
They do not want to be a wild card team. They will also have to look to their veteran players, including DH Shohei Ohtani, who has had a monster season.
He has slugged 53 home runs and an incredible 55 stolen bases. He is also batting .301 on the season.
The fans should be excited about seeing this all-time great in the playoffs. This time in the NL, he is a lock to win another MVP Award. He has shown he is the face of the franchise.
The Dodgers will hand the ball over to veteran Walker Buehler, who has struggled this season, with a mark of 1-6 and an ERA of 5.63. He has struggled a lot and has not won since early May.
The Dodgers are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 37-40 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in three out of their last five games, and the totals have gone over in 44 out of their last 78 games at home.
The Padres are a solid 4-1 in their last five games against the number and 44-31 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in none out of their last five games. The totals have also gone over in 44 out of their last 80 games at home.
