Dodgers Look to Continue Torrid Start Against the Padres

Thu, Apr 22, 2021
By Jim Vassallo (Veri.bet Writer)

The Los Angeles Dodgers (14-4, 1st in the NL West) host the San Diego Padres (10-10, 3rd in the NL West) on Thursday, April 22, at 10:10 PM ET at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers are out to a torrid 14-4 start to the season. One of those four losses came against the Padres in the first series between the two teams in 2021. If the Dodgers keep up this pace, they are on track to win 126 games in the regular season.

The Padres have started the season with a 10-10 mark, which has them sitting five games behind the Dodgers for first in the National League West Division.

These two teams will battle it out the entire season for the West crown, with the Dodgers likely coming out on top in defense of their World Series title from 2020.

The Dodgers are 8-2 in their last 10 games despite hitting just .207 as a team. The pitching staff has an ERA of 2.08 in those 10 games and the Dodgers have outscored their opponents by 22 runs.

In their last 10 games played the Padres are just 3-7 and have lost three in a row. The team is hitting just .208 in that span and the staff ERA is at 3.46. The Padres have been outscored by 13 runs in their last 10 games.

The Padres’ last three losses came as a result of a sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers. 

In their last game, a 4-2 loss, the Padres left 12 runners on base and have left 162 on base so far this season.

"It's been our Achilles' heel,'' Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. "The guys continue to battle, but we haven't been able to cash in. Maybe sometimes we're trying to do too much. It's certainly frustrating, but we're going to continue to stay positive because we know this is going to turn in the right direction."

The Dodgers picked up a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday before having an off-day on Wednesday.

Julio Urias threw seven shutout innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out 11 batters, a career-high for the young lefty.

"I just can't recall any better, kind of from the first pitch to the last pitch efficiency, command of all three pitches, getting ahead of hitters," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He had complete control, command today."

The Dodgers had only two hits in the game, both coming in the third inning, which is when they scored their lone run. AJ Pollock doubled to lead off the inning and Corey Seager hit a single with two outs to score Pollock.

The Dodgers are -1.5 favorites to secure their 15th victory of the season when the Padres come to town tonight. The Over/Under is set at 7.5 runs. With both teams struggling offensively, it’s tough to place a bet on the Over/Under. Instead, put your money on the Dodgers to win at -1.5.