The San Diego Padres face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle contest of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium in LA, so we bring you the best betting pick and odds for this NL West showdown set for Wednesday, September 29, with the first pitch at 10:00 PM ET.

According to BetDSI Sportsbook, the Dodgers are heavy favorites to win Wednesday’s clash (Tuesday’s opener has been excluded from the analysis). They are in a must-win situation, trying to catch the Giants down the stretch and win the NL West title.  

The Padres can’t wait for this season to end          

The San Diego Padres have been a complete disaster over the last few weeks. Once a wild-card contender, the Padres have gone 3-13 since September 10, dropping eight of their previous nine games overall.

In the last two weeks of action, the Padres have recorded a solid .274/.329/.441 batting line while scoring 57 runs through 12 outings. They’ve smacked 31 extra-base hits in the process along with 13 home runs.

However, the Padres have registered an awful 5.69 ERA in that stretch, allowing a .276 batting average to their opponents. San Diego still hasn’t announced its starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium, while the Padres bullpen has posted a 4.92 ERA and 3.91 FIP over the last couple of weeks.

The Dodgers hope to avoid the wild-card series 

The Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 100-56 on the season following a 3-0 victory at the Arizona Diamondbacks this past Sunday. It was their 12th win in the last 15 games at any location, but the Dodgers were still a couple of games behind the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

Los Angeles has scored 53 runs in its previous 11 games overall, slashing .265/.331/.431 in the process and smacking 15 home runs. On the pitching side of things, the Dodgers have compiled a nice 3.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a .215 batting average against.

Max Scherzer will take the mound Wednesday, looking to bounce back from his previous outing. The 37-year-old righty yielded five earned runs across five frames at Coors Field but exited with a no-decision, while the Dodgers escaped with a 7-5 win. Since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline, Max has gone 7-0 with a sparkly 1.43 ERA and 1.56 FIP in ten starts (63 innings).

Trends:

San Diego:

  • 1-8 in the last nine games overall 
  • 2-8 in the last ten games on the road

LA Dodgers:

  • 12-3 in the last 15 games overall
  • 10-0 in Max Scherzer’s ten starts   

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Pick

The Dodgers bullpen has been outstanding all season long, and over the last two weeks, it has recorded a 2.56 ERA and 4.22 FIP. Max Scherzer has owned the Padres in two starts against them in the last two months, allowing just three hits and a walk across 15.2 scoreless innings while punching out 19.

Hereof, I’m backing the Dodgers to win by two or more runs and stay alive in the race for the NL West crown. The Padres will certainly try their best, but considering their recent form, I don’t see them pulling off an upset in this one.

Pick: Take Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5       

The Total:

Five of the last six encounters between these two teams at Dodger Stadium went in the over, as well as 11 of the Padres’ previous 15 games overall. I’ll ride these betting trends, but the Padres could easily struggle a lot against Max Scherzer and the Dodgers bullpen.

On the flip side, the Padres’ pitching staff has been a massive disappointment as of late, so the visitors could allow a bunch of runs. The Dodgers have scored at least five runs in five of their previous six meetings with San Diego.

Pick: Go over