Alex Wood (11-12, 3.89 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (89-70) go up against Casey Kelly (0-1, 9.00 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (74-85) in the first of a three-game division series at Dodger Stadium. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and will air on FSSD and SNLA.
In his most recent outing, Wood pitched 5.1 innings, giving up eight runs, striking out one and walking two in a 12-5 loss to the Rockies. Andre Ethier (.297, 54 Rs, 14 HRs, 52 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and one RBI. The Padres were also unsuccessful the last time Kelly pitched. He struggled, going 5.0 innings, allowing six runs, striking out one and walking one in a 6-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. Matt Kemp (.265, 80 Rs, 23 HRs, 100 RBIs, 12 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one RBI.
Los Angeles is a considerable -185 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Dodgers are 78-60 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -1,450. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (3-7). They have been very patient at the plate, ranking second in the NL with an average of 3.5 walks per game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Dodgers rank fourth in the NL in ERA with a 3.51 team average. The Dodgers are third in the league in WHIP at 1.19. An area where the Dodgers are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.6 K’s per game.
Switching gears, the Padres come into this game with a win percentage of .405 when playing as the underdog (34-50) and an overall money line of -1,703. Against divisional opponents, they are 35-38 SU and 15-25 as the underdog.
The Dodgers had the upper hand against the Padres in their previous 16 games this season, earning an 11-5 record. The Dodgers will take on a right-hander (Kelly) in this game and have a 68-53 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Padres will be the left-hander Wood. They sport a 17-19 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego has won 49% (38-40) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Los Angeles has won 51% (29-28) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Padres are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Dodgers have a 3-5 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 55-18. The Dodgers have a 68-11 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 24th in runs, San Diego has earned 644 this season. Los Angeles ranks 19th with 653 runs.
Ranking 23rd, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 422 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at third with 553.
The Dodgers are 67-39 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Padres are 52-36 when they hit at least one homer.
