Dodgers vs Padres Odds, Prediction & Expert Analysis

Padres right-hander Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter last time out. Could he make MLB history by becoming the second pitcher ever with back-to-back no-hitters when he faces the visiting Dodgers on Wednesday night?

On Monday, the Dodgers acquired relief pitcher Michael Kopech from the White Sox, utility player Tommy Edman from the Cardinals and shortstop Amed Rosario from the Rays.

Michael Kopech

Edman is injured, limiting his ability to help, but he is versatile. Kopech throws hard but can be erratic.

The Dodgers needed bullpen help due to injuries to Graterol, Grove, and Brasier.

With Kopech joining the bullpen, the Dodgers should see a significant improvement in performance after weeks of struggling.

Gavin Lux

Current infielder Lux, the reigning NL Player of the Week, enters this series hot at the plate as he has the fourth highest batting average in the Majors since the All-Star break.

Then again, Lux has historically been at his best after the All-Star break.

He is a career .271 hitter with eight homers and 46 RBI in and a .757 OPS, which is 83 points higher than his .674 OPS in the first half of his career.

Clayton Kershaw on the Hill

It’s lefty and three-time Cy Young Award winner Kershaw on the mound for only the second time this year after offseason shoulder surgery.

Kershaw (0-0, 4.50) didn’t factor into the decision last Thursday against San Francisco, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out six.

The future Hall of Famer threw 72 pitches. Kershaw had to shake off a bit of rust, allowing a pair of baserunners in the first inning, but he kept the Giants off the scoreboard until the third frame.

Both runs attributed to Kershaw came in that inning, as he surrendered three consecutive hits, including an RBI triple to Tyler Fitzgerald.

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San Diego Padres Moneyline -128

This is the final home game of the season for the Padres against the bitter-rival Dodgers.

I doubt that San Diego can catch LA in the NL West especially if Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish doesn’t make it back in 2024.

While the Padres remain hopeful Darvish (personal) will be back at some point, there doesn’t appear to be a timetable for his return.

Darvish has been on the restricted list for the last three-plus weeks while dealing with an unspecified personal issue.

Given that he hasn’t done any throwing in a month, it will take him a while to be built back up.

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Star outfielder Tatis Jr. (right femoral stress reaction) hasn’t played since June 21 but has been cleared for light baseball activity — including swinging and running.

Manager Mike Shildt noted that the stress reaction has not fully healed.

But when it does, Shildt said Tatis’ ramp-up period wouldn’t be too extensive. He probably won’t be back until mid-August at the earliest.

Tatis had been feeling discomfort in his leg since early April. Despite it, he hit .279 with 14 home runs.

Padres’ Streak

The Padres came off a successful 7-2 road trip after the All-Star break, their best in 34 years.

Despite not achieving 8 wins, they maintained a winning percentage of at least .889 in a nine-game trip for the first time.

Initially unsure about their contender status, they are now legitimate wild-card contenders, bolstered by the addition of setup man Jason Adam to their bullpen.

Dylan Cease on the Hill

Cease threw the first no-hitter of his career and the second in Padres history last Thursday against the Nationals.

He struck out nine batters, walked three, and did not give up a run.

Cease was close to a no-hitter in 2022, which was broken up by current teammate Luis Arraez. Arraez gave Cease the game ball.

Dylan threw a career-high 114 pitches to finish a historic game, almost being pulled after 94 pitches in the 7th inning.

He convinced Shildt to let him stay and finished with only 9 pitches in the 8th and 11 in the 9th.

Cease ended the game with a flyout on a 1-0 slider to CJ Abrams.

The closest Washington came to a hit was when Juan Yepez lofted a fly to shallow center in the fifth inning.

The ball popped out of second baseman Xander Bogaerts’ glove, but center fielder Jackson Merrill was there to snare the ball before it hit the ground.

Cease has been dominant in MLB since mid-July, with the first pitcher to achieve three straight starts of at least six innings and one or fewer hits.

This was his sixth start of the season with such impressive stats. He holds a major league record, sharing second place with nine other pitchers for four such games.

He leads the league in strikeouts and has a .191 batting average against him.

Cease hasn’t faced the Dodgers this year and is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA in two appearances against them with 18 strikeouts – both coming while he was with the White Sox.

The only pitcher with back-to-back no-hitters was Cincinnati’s Johnny Vander Meer in June 1938 for Cincinnati.

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