Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Game 3: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The race for the National League pennant has been narrowed down to just four teams. The Phillies and Mets had Game 2 of the NLDS on Sunday afternoon and Philadelphia was able to even the series at one game each.

Later that night, the Padres levelled their series with the Dodgers after a huge night at the plate. That sets the story for a highly anticipated Game 3 in San Diego, with the projected starters on Tuesday night being Walker Buehler for the Dodgers and Michael King for the Padres.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Game 3 betting picks and predictions

Padres ML (-150)

The Padres made a statement with their Game 2 win over the Dodgers. San Diego found itself in a must-win situation last night after their disappointing Game 1 loss which saw them jump out to an early lead but fail to maintain it as the normally-very-reliable bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding.

They came out with a plan in Game 2 to jump on Jack Flaherty and get him out of the game early to force Dave Roberts to tax his bullpen. The plan worked perfectly as San Diego tagged Flaherty for four earned runs and five hits in 5.1 innings.

But San Diego's damage didn't stop there as they continued to knock around the bullpen and ended up with 13 hits, 10 runs, and six home runs. That leaves the Padres with all the momentum heading back to San Diego for the next two games, and there's a real chance this series doesn't go back to LA.

The Padres announced that Michael King will start Game 3 on his home mound, and that gives San Diego an immediate advantage. King blossomed into an ace during the regular season as he posted a 2.95 ERA in 31 outings. Plus, he faced the Dodgers four times from April to September and looked great in his final two starts against them.

In those two outings, King limited the Dodgers to zero earned runs, five hits, and 14 strikeouts in 12 innings.

He continued his regular season success into the postseason as he threw a gem against the Braves in the Wild Card round. The right-hander threw seven scoreless innings and gave up just five hits while striking out 12. His velocity was up and he even had more horizontal movement on his sweeper so it was clear that he was feeding off the energy from the Padres crowd.

And now, back in San Diego for Game 3 of the NLDS, I think King has a similar performance and leads the Padres to a 2-1 series lead.

Over 7.5 (-120)

This series has seen 12 runs scored in both games so far, so I'm sticking with the high-scoring theme and taking the over in Game 3. The Padres have been phenomenal in the postseason as their lineup has combined for a .261 average, .320 OBP, and .865 OPS in 4 games. Not to mention the 10 home runs in just four games which is by far the most by any team.

San Diego's recipe for success has been a balanced lineup that doesn't just rely on three or four hitters for the majority of their run production. Obviously having Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar, and Manny Machado as the top four is elite, but the difference is that they have Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Donovan Solano, and Kyle Higashioka to complete the lineup.

That deep lineup should be able to do plenty of damage against Buehler, who struggled to find himself during the regular season.

Buehler finished the year with a 5.38 ERA paired with a 1.55 WHIP in 16 starts which is not what we expected to see from the former ace. He made two starts against the Padres in the regular season and allowed four runs, 10 hits, and two home runs in 8.1 innings.

Perhaps the most interesting stat is that Buehler struck out only three hitters in those 8.1 innings which indicates he wasn't getting a ton of swing and misses from the San Diego lineup.

While the Padres look set to do the majority of the scoring, it's hard to count out the Dodgers lineup. Shohei Ohtani has been on fire in the postseason and he's followed by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez.

Plus, the Dodgers were able to get to King earlier in the regular season, so we could see another game with a score near 10 runs.

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Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Game 3 odds

LA Dodgers	+125 ML
SD Padres	-150 ML
Run Line	Padres -1.5 (+150)
Total	O/U 7.5

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Game 3 player props

Player Home Run Odds

Shohei Ohtani	+255
Fernando Tatis Jr.	+310
Manny Machado	+340
Max Muncy	+430
Jackson Merrill	+440
Teoscar Hernandez	+450

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.