Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres NLDS MLB Picks, Odds, Predictions 10/6/20

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers meet Tuesday night in game one of the National League NLDS MLB playoffs at Globe Life Field.

The San Diego Padres are coming off a three-game series win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The San Diego Padres are in the NLDS for the first time since the 2006 MLB season. The Padres pitching staff was shaky at times in the world card series, but the bats showed just how explosive they can be, as they batted .304 in three games while hitting six home runs. The Padres finished the season third in runs per game and fourth in homers, and that type of offensive production proves they’re never truly out of a game. Tommy Pham leads the Padres with six hits and one RBI while Jake Cronenworth and Fernando Tatis Jr. have combined for 10 hits and seven RBI. Mike Clevinger gets the ball, and he was 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 40 strikeouts this season. Clevinger is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA and 15 strikeouts in his postseason career.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a two-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the NLDS for the eighth straight season. The Dodgers were the most balanced team in baseball this season and their wild card series was no different. The Dodgers pitching staff had a 1.00 ERA through 18 innings with 28 strikeouts, while the batting order drew seven walks and seven runs while batting .207 at the plate. The Dodgers have so many ways to win and it’s why they’re the odds on favorite to win the World Series. Mookie Betts leads the Dodgers with three hits and three RBI while Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes have combined for five hits and one RBI. Walker Buehler gets the ball tonight, and he was 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and 42 strikeouts this season. Buehler is 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 52 strikeouts in his postseason career.

The Padres are 15-5 in their last 20 during game 1 of a series, 15-31 in their last 46 games as an underdog and 5-1 in their last 6 overall. The Dodgers are 24-6 in their last 30 Tuesday games, 38-13 in their last 51 games as a favorite and 42-16 in their last 58 games following an off day. The under is 5-1-1 in Padres last 7 games following a win. The under is 6-2 in Dodgers last 8 playoff games. The Padres are 19-46 in the last 65 meetings in Los Angeles and 15-36 in the last 51 meetings.

I really don’t care who is on the mound for the Padres in this spot, it’s just so hard to bet against the Dodgers, a team that can win with its pitching or offense. Buehler has been solid in the postseason despite a somewhat limited sample size, and he’s 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 45 strikeouts in five career games against the Padres. The Dodgers have also won six of the last 10 meetings against the Padres. While the Padres are a fun team and a club you shouldn’t count out due to their ability to leave the ballpark, I’m not stepping in front of the Dodgers right now. I’ll lay the reasonable juice in game one of the NLDS.