Carlos Frias (3-1, 2.55 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (26-16) meet James Shields (5-0, 3.74 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (20-24) in the last of a three-game division series at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won the last game 2-0 and Los Angeles leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 24 and will air on FSN-SD and SportsNet LA.
In his most recent outing, Frias pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out three and walking two in a 2-0 loss to the Giants. Adrian Gonzalez (.347, 30 Rs, 9 HRs, 32 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. In his career against the Dodgers, Shields is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA. He gets a solid Los Angeles offense that’s batting .258.
Los Angeles is a -125 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Dodgers have a winning record of 23-15 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +161. They have performed well against their division to earn an SU record of 18-13 and an 18-12 record when they were the favorite. The Dodgers will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, Los Angeles has only averaged 2.9 runs per game compared to the 4.6 they’ve averaged on the season. The Dodgers have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire NL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. The Dodgers are an exceptional hitting team with 9.0 hits per home game, one of the highest marks in the NL. The Dodgers typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an NL-high 3.9 walks per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Dodgers lead the league in WHIP at 1.13. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the NL with 9.0 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Padres come into this game with a weak win percentage of .333 when playing as the underdog (8-16) and an overall money line of -416. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 3-7 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 1-6 record. The Padres will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their 10 most recent games, San Diego’s run production has dropped to 2.9 runs per game, compared to 4.6 for the duration of the season. Playing against NL West foes really brings the best out of the San Diego pitchers. They allow 3.9 runs per game against teams within their division, which is lower than their season average of 4.7.
The Dodgers have gotten the best of the Padres in head-to-head matchups this season, going 6-2. This game will feature Shields (RHP) on the mound against the Dodgers, who have a 17-3 home and 23-12 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Padres will be the right-hander Frias. They sport a 14-18 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles earned its sixth shutout of the season in its last game. San Diego has been shut out eight times this season.
When the Dodgers play into extra innings, they have a 2-2 record. The Padres are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Padres are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Dodgers have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 3-19. The Dodgers have a 3-10 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego ranks in the bottom half of the league at 17th when it comes to home runs, hitting 37 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 56.
Los Angeles and San Diego both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at seventh with 8.54 hits per game and San Diego ranks eighth with 8.42.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage of .790. San Diego ranks near the bottom at 24th with an OPS of .673.
When the Padres allow at least one home run, they are 12-19. When the Dodgers allow one or more homers, they have a 12-11 record.
