After a sterling effort by Blake Snell on Friday, the San Diego Padres are one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have now lost two straight, including their fourth consecutive postseason road game. They are sending Tyler Anderson to the mound to try and save their season, but the Padres are countering with ace Joe Musgrove.
Can the Dodgers pull out a win and force a deciding Game 5, or will the Padres make their first NLCS since 1998?
Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Dodgers vs. Padres on October 15.
Dodgers vs Padres best odds
Dodgers vs Padres picks and predictions
The Dodgers are in trouble. They are one game away from elimination, and they have a few issues they haven’t been able to solve. The first is they haven’t been able to score when needed. This is a team that was first in the majors during the regular season in RBI and runs, and they've been struggling to do just that in the postseason.
The Dodgers have left 17 runners on base in the last two games and have just five hits in that span. They just are 3-24 with runners in scoring position, and if they are going to score against the Padres, it better be before a relief pitcher shows up. San Diego's bullpen has been lights out down the stretch, recording 39 straight outs.
The Padres are certainly peaking at the right time. They lead the postseason teams in runs, RBI, home runs, and hits. The Dodgers are pinning their hopes on Tyler Anderson. The last time he faced the Padres at the end of September, he gave up two runs on three hits through six innings.
Remarkably, San Diego is the underdog tonight. The line opened at DraftKings with the Dodgers at +155, but it was quickly bet down to -115. The Padres are actually getting plus odds, pulling in anywhere from +100 to +106.
I don’t think the Dodgers have an answer. The Padres are on a hot streak right now, and I’ll ride with them tonight.
My best bet: Padres moneyline (+106 at WynnBET)
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Dodgers vs Padres NLDS odds
| Teams | Odds to win series |
|---|---|
 Los Angeles Dodgers |
+165 |
 San Diego Padres |
-185 |
Dodgers vs Padres moneyline analysis
The Dodgers seem to fold in the postseason, and it’s hard to believe they dominated San Diego during the regular season.
The team that won 111 games (one of the best seasons in history) beat the Padres 14 of 19 times during the season. In the playoffs, however, they have now dropped two straight to San Diego.
Star outfielder Mookie Betts seemed to sum up the Dodgers' mindset going into Saturday night’s Game 4:
“I’m not shocked at all,” Betts said. “They’re a good team. Regular season doesn’t mean anything. They’re playing well. And we haven’t.”
Can the Dodgers pull out of their stupor and avoid elimination? I don’t think so.
The Padres are the hottest team in the playoffs right now, and I don’t see that subsiding. They have San Diego native Joe Musgrove on the mound, and he pitched well against them the last time he faced them.
Musgrove allowed just four hits and no runs in five innings to L.A. back on September 28th. The way the bullpen has been, all Musgrove has to do is repeat that performance, and the Padres will be on their way to the NLCS.
Dodgers vs Padres Over/Under analysis
In the three prior playoff games between the two teams, the Over has hit twice. The Under came through last night, and I believe it will hit again.
The total opened at seven runs but has since ticked up to 7.5 for Saturday’s game. The Under will be in play because the Dodgers are going to have an all-hands-on-deck approach to the bullpen. It won’t be surprising at all if we even see Clayton Kershaw come in to pitch a couple of innings at some point.
The bullpen has been used extensively. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts has used nine different pitchers in the last two games in relief. He has hinted that right-hander Dustin May may be ready to go as well. There is no tomorrow, so Roberts is going to have to send out in relief whoever the best arm is.
Los Angeles needs at least five strong innings from Anderson, and the last time he faced the Padres, the southpaw gave up two runs in the first inning but continued until the sixth. The Dodgers won't be afforded that same luxury tonight.
The Padres are in a much more enviable position. If they can get Musgrove to last five innings, the bullpen will take over, and they have shut Los Angeles out thus far. If this is a one-run game by the time San Diego's relievers enter the fold, there probably won’t be any more offense coming from the Dodgers.
Dodgers vs Padres trend to know
The Dodgers have lost four consecutive postseason road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Padres.
Dodgers vs Padres game info
| Location: | Petco Park, San Diego, CA |
| Date: | Saturday, October 15, 2022 |
| First pitch: | 9:37 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FS1 |
Starting pitchers
Tyler Anderson (15-5, 2.57 ERA): This is obviously the biggest game of Anderson’s career, and it will be interesting to see how he performs. In the regular season, Anderson managed some success against the Padres. He faced them four times this season, allowing five runs on 15 hits in 24 innings. If he falters just a little bit, however, expect him to get pulled quickly.
Joe Musgrove (10-7, 2.93 ERA): This could be a story-book ending for Musgrove, who grew up a Padres fan and now gets to send his childhood team to the NLCS. Musgrove faced the Dodgers three times this year, allowing seven runs on 15 hits through 17 1-3 innings. He did have a strong outing the last time he faced them, allowing no runs on four hits through five innings of work.
Dodgers vs Padres latest injuries
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Dodgers vs Padres weather
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