Wednesday, October 7, 2020, Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas, 9:08 p.m. ET
Padres at Dodgers Betting Preview: Padres (odds TBA), Dodgers (odds TBA)
San Diego Padres
After losing Game 1 and seeing right-hander Mike Clevinger walk off the field with an injury, the Padres are left to pick up the pieces in Game 2 on Wednesday. Toughest to take was that in an unexpected bullpen game, San Diego managed to hold the Dodgers hitless for the first five innings yet still fell short.
Even the best teams will have trouble winning games without an offensive flow. The Padres managed just three hits in Game 1, and their only run came on an Austin Nola RBI single in the fourth inning. Expected to lead the offense, the duo of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado went a combined 1-for-8 with four strikeouts. Tatis had three of the whiffs.
The Padres have not named a starter for Game 2 as of early Wednesday morning, but they are adept at piecing things together. They have use nine pitchers in a game three times already this postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers
It is a familiar refrain this time of year: Clayton Kershaw is confident he can dominate in the playoffs. The fact remains that he has endured numerous poor postseason performances, but his outing in the wild-card round last week was another reason to believe in the left-hander. Kershaw kicked off his 2020 postseason with eight scoreless innings and 13 strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers continued to struggle on offense in their third playoff game, but they rallied for four runs in the sixth inning and earned a 5-1 victory. They entered that inning hitless on the night even though the score was 1-1.
One concern moving forward for the homer-reliant Dodgers is that the ball doesn’t fly far in Texas’ Globe Life Field. Los Angeles hit multiple balls in Game 1 that were headed toward the fences but appeared to lack carry.
Padres at Dodgers Betting Pick for Game 2
It was just one inning, but the Dodgers got their offense in a flow during the sixth inning of Game 1 and walked away with a victory. Stringing together offense might have to be the way moving forward in the Rangers’ new pitcher-friendly ballpark.
The Padres keep riding their bullpen hard, and that might be the way for them moving forward. The Dodgers hope for the opposite in Game 2 and will stick with Kershaw as long as they can, which would preserve their NL-best bullpen for the remainder a series that does not have an off day.
Padres at Dodgers Betting Pick:
Dodgers 5, Padres 2
Padres at Dodgers Best Bet for Game 2
Solid pitching and long fly balls that die at the warning track likely will be a theme, with runs hard to come by. In a series that was supposed to be led by dynamic offenses, winning ugly might become a theme.
Padres at Dodgers Best Bet: UNDER (run total and odds TBA)
–Field Level Media
