San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction & Picks 9/25/2024

NL West rivals will take center stage on Wednesday night, as the San Diego Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers come into this game with the lead in the NL West, but that lead is dwindling, as the Padres have cut it down to just two games entering this matchup. Continue reading for our analysis of Padres vs Dodgers and our best bet for this huge game out West.

Padres Look to Stay Hot At the Right Time

The San Diego Padres are on fire coming into Wednesday’s MLB slate. San Diego has won five straight games, including their series opener against the Dodgers on Tuesday. While the Padres are all but assured a Wild Card berth at this point in the season, they have whittled the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West race to just two games and will look to put even more of a dent in it with a win in this contest.

Dylan Cease will take the mound for the Padres in this crucial division matchup. The Padres right-hander enters this game with a record of 14-11 and an ERA of 3.42. Cease has won two straight starts for the Padres, throwing 14.1 scoreless innings across those two games. And with a win in his lone start against the Dodgers under his belt back in July, Cease could help the Padres move to within a game of the Dodgers in the standings with another strong outing.

Of course, pitching is always going to be the key when you are facing a team as explosive as the Dodgers, and San Diego’s pitching has been up to the challenge of late. The Padres have allowed two or fewer runs in five straight games, winning all of those contests. If they can make it six in a row, we could have a wild ending to the regular season in the NL West.

Plenty Hanging In the Balance For Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers have held the lead in the NL West for most of this season and thought that home-field advantage would be their focus this late in the year. But they are on the verge of letting that division lead slip away, as their advantage over the Padres has been cut to just two games heading into Wednesday night. Here, the Dodgers will look to right the ship and stem the tide of momentum that San Diego has generated late in the year.

Los Angeles will send Jack Flaherty to the mound for this key Padres vs Dodgers clash. Flaherty is 13-7 for the season with an ERA of 3.10, with three wins in his last four starts. Flaherty has yet to face the Padres this year, but will look to shut them down to help his team preserve their advantage in the standings over them.

Offensively, it is the usual suspects that will be expected to deliver for the Dodgers in this contest. The trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman were largely shut down by the Padres pitching staff on Tuesday night. But those three are rarely ever held down for long and they will look to turn the tables on San Diego’s arms in this huge spot.

Padres vs Dodgers Prediction & Best Bet

With the way the Padres are playing lately, it is hard to bet against them. We will take the visitors to win as a slight underdog in this Padres vs Dodgers matchup. With Cease pitching as well as he is lately, San Diego should be able to pull within a game of the Dodgers in a division race that is getting better by the day.