Tyson Ross (10-9, 3.27 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (65-70) go up against Alex Wood (9-9, 3.67 ERA) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (76-58) in the third of a four-game division series at Petco Park. The Dodgers won the last game 8-4 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 8:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 5 and will air on FSSD and SNLA.
In his last start, Ross pitched 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 7-0 victory over the Rangers. Matt Kemp (.266, 67 Rs, 18 HRs, 89 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. The Dodgers were unsuccessful to the Cubs 2-0 the last time Wood pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing two runs, striking out seven and walking one. Justin Turner (.292, 44 Rs, 15 HRs, 52 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Padres have an SU record of 27-24 against teams in their division. The Padres rank fifth in the majors in extra base hits with 372. Turning to the pitching staff, an area where the Padres are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average an NL-best 9.1 K’s per home game.
Against divisional opponents, the Dodgers are 32-21 SU. Los Angeles has an eye for the strike zone, ranking 3.4 in the NL with second walks per game. Switching gears to Los Angeles’s pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.44. They have a WHIP of 1.19 on the year, good for fourth in the league. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in baseball with an NL-high 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Dodgers have gotten the better of the Padres in head-to-head matchups this season, going 9-5. The Padres will take on a left-hander (Wood) in this game and have a 15-14 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Dodgers will be the right-hander Ross. They sport a 61-44 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego’s last 6 games.
San Diego is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Diego’s last 8 games at home.
San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego’s last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers.
San Diego is 4-8 SU in their last 12 games when playing LA Dodgers.
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of San Diego’s last 22 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers.
San Diego is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers.
The Dodgers sit at 33-21 against their divisional rivals, while the Padres are 27-25.
The Padres managed to give up nine walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Dodgers who are coming in with a 4-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 9-50. The Dodgers have a 14-42 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 18th in home runs, San Diego has hit 125 this season. Los Angeles ranks sixth with 162 home runs.
San Diego and Los Angeles both rank in the top half of the league in hits. San Diego sits at 13th with 8.35 hits per game and Los Angeles ranks 14th with 8.34.
Ranking 27th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.691). Los Angeles ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .748.
When the Dodgers allow at least one home run, they are 30-41. When the Padres allow one or more homers, they have a 34-51 record.
