Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers had the best record in baseball during the regular season and cruised to a two-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers as big favorites in their National League Wild Card Series. Now the Dodgers face what should be a bigger challenge against the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series starting on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Los Angeles is listed as a -270 betting favorite on the MLB playoff series prices at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com for their NL Division Series while San Diego is set as a +225 underdog at sports betting sites.
The Padres beat the Dodgers four times in 10 meetings this season, but they also do not have a set pitching rotation for the NLDS, presenting their opponent with a situation that is difficult for which to plan. San Diego used eight different pitchers in all three games during its Wild Card Series victory against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the first team in MLB history to do so.
The Padres are hoping to have Mike Clevinger (2-1 and 2.84 ERA since arriving in a trade from the Cleveland Indians) available at some point of this series, although his status along with that of fellow starter Dinelson Lamet (3-1, 2.09 ERA) remains up in the air. Clevinger is still recovering from an elbow injury, and Lamet has been dealing with tightness in his biceps.
Los Angeles will send Walker Buehler (1-0, 3.44 ERA) to the mound in Game 1 on Tuesday followed by Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.16 ERA) in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Dodgers have lost in just one of Buehler’s nine outings overall this year, but three of them were decided in extra innings.
He went four innings in the series opener against the Brewers last Wednesday, allowing two runs and three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings the next day, scattering three hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts.
Beyond that duo, Los Angeles could go with Dustin May (3-1, 2.57 ERA) or Julio Urias (3-0, 3.27 ERA) in Game 3 of this best-of-five series. Meanwhile, San Diego did not see one pitcher go more than 2.1 innings in the Wild Card round, so it will be interesting to see if the bullpen approach can work again here.
The Padres do feature a potentially explosive lineup led by second-year star Fernando Tatis Jr. that outscored the Cardinals 19-16 in three games. Tatis clubbed two home runs with five RBI in Game 2 of that series, but he hit only .205 with eight hits (two home runs) and 11 strikeouts in 39 at-bats versus the Dodgers in the regular season.
Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily MLB picks for bettors.
