The Los Angeles Dodgers travel south to take on the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series on Monday. The Dodgers have won eight of the 13 meetings between the National League West rivals this season.
Looking To Rebound
The Dodgers are now 86-46 after dropping two out of three to the New York Yankees in what could very well be a World Series preview. The two teams have the two of the best records in baseball and have been dominant over most of the league all season long. The Dodgers go on a short road trip to take on the Padres, and L.A. is 34-28 in away games this season.
Scheduled to start the series off for the Dodgers is Dustin May. May has worked as a reliever this season but will get a chance to start this game after giving up four runs over two innings in a relief appearance in his last outing against Atlanta. The 21-year-old is 1-2 this season with a 4.26 ERA with 15 strikeouts. May is one of the Dodgers’ top prospects.
As a team, the Dodgers are batting .259 with 227 home runs. They are led by their NL MVP candidate, right-fielder Cody Bellinger, who carries a .312 batting average with 42 home runs and 100 runs batted in. Bellinger has found a way to make an impact in just about every game he’s played this season, always giving the opposing team trouble in his part of the lineup. The young All-Star is just one reason the Dodgers have had such a good lineup this season and are likely to be the top team in the NL in the playoffs.
Building For the Future
Just down the road from the Dodgers are the San Diego Padres. They are 60-69 after going 5-5 over their last 10 games. The Padres are in fourth place in the NL West, 24.5 games behind the Dodgers. They will be at home for this series, where they are just 30-35 this year, not giving them much of a home-field advantage.
San Diego does not have any real hopes for a postseason as they are 8.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. They will look to see what young players they can build around going forward.
Eric Lauer will get the start for the Padres in this game. While the Dodgers may seem unstoppable, especially to a team like the Padres, Lauer has been the Dodgers’ kryptonite. In six career starts against the Dodgers, Lauer is 4-0 with a 1.72 ERA. That is the best record against Los Angeles among the 65 active major league pitchers with at least six starts against them. Overall, Lauer is 6-8 this season with a 4.47 ERA and 98 strikeouts.
Leading the Padres out of the batter’s box has been first baseman Eric Hosmer, who has a .283 batting average and 84 runs batted in. Left-fielder Hunter Renfroe currently leads the team with 31 home runs. San Diego is batting .244 as a team with 190 home runs.
What To Expect
This is my favorite game of the day, as the Dodgers are starting a young pitcher that could really go either way, but Lauer’s dominance over the Dodgers is worth putting money on. The Dodgers are coming off a very draining series against the Yankees, and I think the Padres will take advantage of the situation and get the win.
