Ian Kennedy (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (10-8) go up against Brandon McCarthy (2-0, 4.50 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (10-6) in the second of a three-game division series at Petco Park. The Dodgers won the last game 3-0 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 8:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 25 and will air on SportsNet LA, FSN-SD and MLB.
Kennedy has a 4.08 ERA and a 5-7 record in his career against the Dodgers, and faces a strong Los Angeles offense that’s hitting .270 on the year. Matt Kemp (.342, 13 Rs, 1 HR, 14 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4. In his pitching opportunities against the Padres, McCarthy is 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA. He gets a solid San Diego offense that’s batting .274. Adrian Gonzalez (.403, 14 Rs, 6 HRs, 15 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
San Diego is a small -110 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Padres have a winning record of 5-2 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +293. They have impressive records of 5-2 as the favorite and 8-6 SU within their division. The Padres are a superb hitting team with an NL-best 9.9 hits per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Padres rank second in the NL in home ERA with a 1.77 team average. The Padres don’t give up many hits at home to opposing batters at Petco Park, leading the NL with only 6.7 hits allowed per home game.
They have played at the top of their game when rated as the underdog as of late. They managed a 1-0 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 7-3. Los Angeles is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 64 extra base hits. Los Angeles has an eye for the strike zone, averaging an NL-best 4.1 walks per game. Shifting to the pitching staff, they allow just 2.3 walks per game, third-best in the NL. The Los Angeles pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging an NL-best 10.0 strikeouts per game.
The Dodgers are 3-1 against the Padres this season. This game will feature McCarthy (RHP) on the mound against the Padres, who have a 6-6 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Dodgers will be the right-hander Kennedy. Right-handed starters haven’t been any trouble for them (8-5), but it’s a different story when they play on the road (1-4).
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
Los Angeles won its last game in a shutout, its second of the season. San Diego has been shut out two times this season.
The Dodgers are 1-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Padres are 0-2 in such matchups.
The Dodgers are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Padres have a record of 1-4 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 9-2. The Padres have an 8-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, Los Angeles has earned 72 this season. San Diego ranks third with 85 runs.
Ranking 19th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 45 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at fourth with 63.
When the Padres hit at least one home run, they are 7-4, well-matched with the Dodgers who are 8-4 when hitting one or more homers.
