Runs may be hard to come by in this one as Zack Greinke (5-1, 1.52 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (24-16) meet Andrew Cashner (1-7, 3.24 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (20-22) in the first of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The game gets underway at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 22 and will air on FSN-SD and SportsNet LA.
Greinke is 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 13 walks against the Padres in his career. Adrian Gonzalez (.345, 29 Rs, 9 HRs, 32 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. In his career against the Dodgers, Cashner is 1-4 with a 2.22 ERA. He gets a strong Los Angeles offense that’s batting .261. Justin Upton (.285, 30 Rs, 11 HRs, 29 RBIs, 9 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one stolen base.
Los Angeles is a -167 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is six runs. When playing as the favorite, the Dodgers have a 22-15 record and overall money line at +61. They have impressive records of 17-12 as the favorite and 17-13 SU within their division. Los Angeles has averaged 3.2 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.7. The Dodgers have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire NL, averaging 4.7 runs per game. The Dodgers are a superb hitting team with 9.1 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 4.0 walks per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Dodgers are fourth in the league in WHIP at 1.16. An area where the Dodgers are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average an NL-best 9.1 K’s per game.
Across the field, the Padres have a subpar record of 8-14 when they are the underdog and are -216 overall with the money line. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 2-5 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 4-6. San Diego’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 4.0 runs per game against teams from the NL West, lower than their season average of 4.8.
The Dodgers have mostly come out on top against the Padres in their previous six games this season, earning a 4-2 record. This game will feature Cashner (RHP) on the mound against the Dodgers, who have a 16-3 home and 22-12 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Padres will be the right-hander Greinke. They sport a 14-16 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles has won 50% (7-7) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, San Diego has won 55% (11-9) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Dodgers are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Padres have an 11-14 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 3-18. The Dodgers have a 3-10 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego ranks in the top half of the league at 15th when it comes to home runs, hitting 37 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 54.
Los Angeles and San Diego both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at seventh with 8.59 hits per game and San Diego ranks eighth with 8.56.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Los Angeles has an OPS of .800 this season. San Diego ranks 22nd with an OPS of .689.
When the Padres allow at least one home run, they are 12-17. When the Dodgers allow one or more homers, they have a 12-11 record.
