San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, longtime NL West rivals and two southern California-based teams, are set to clash in the 2024 NLDS.

San Diego won the most conventional series in an otherwise dramatic Wild Card round, as the Padres swept the Atlanta Braves to move on to a hotly-anticipated series against the Dodgers.

These teams last met in the postseason in 2022, where San Diego won the series 3-1. The stars could be aligning for the Padres once again this season.

Let’s get into our expert’s predictions and best bet for Saturday’s Game 1 between the Padres and Dodgers in Los Angeles.

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

Padres to win (+115)

The Padres have been a trendy World Series pick for many sharp bettors this October, and it’s easy to see why.

San Diego was tremendous over the second half of the season, finishing with the best record in baseball since the All-Star break at 43-20.

The Padres have only continued to gain steam as potentially the most complete team in baseball heading into this Division Series after making quick work of the Braves in the previous round.

At the plate, this team is absolutely loaded, with the likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar all lighting it up at the dish and making things extremely hard on opposing pitchers this season.

As for the rotation, San Diego boasts an excellent four-man group of Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, although Musgrove's postseason is in doubt after exiting his last start with elbow tightness.

Still, considering how top-heavy most of the remaining playoff teams are, that’s an embarrassment of riches for San Diego. And that doesn’t even include its terrific bullpen, which was fortified at the trade deadline for the very purpose of winning a title this season.

As for the hosts, Los Angeles’ talent of offense is undeniable, with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez leading one of the best lineups in the game. However, the Dodgers’ playoff rotation is a significant question mark, and we’ll get our first look at Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a playoff setting in Game 1.

Yamamoto has looked good when healthy this season, but he’s recently coming off an extended stint on the injured list and has been a bit up-and-down in the four outings since his return. Now, with the intensity ramped up in a major way on Saturday, it’s fair to question how the Japanese right-hander handles the pressure that comes with a postseason debut, especially against a rival team.

It doesn’t help that the Padres have seen the ball well against Yamamoto in his two outings against San Diego this season. Yamamoto has surrendered a combined eight runs on eight hits over six innings in his two appearances against the Padres in 2024, so a healthy bit of skepticism around the 26-year old is warranted heading into this game.

Ultimately, our expert has the Padres winning this series, and it’ll begin with a Game 1 victory for San Diego on the money line (+115) to get things started in this California rivalry clash.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers odds

San Diego Padres	+115 ML
Los Angeles Dodgers	-135 ML
Run Line	Dodgers -1.5
Total Runs	O/U 7.5

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers player props

Player Home Run Odds

Shohei Ohtani	+230
Max Muncy	+320
Teoscar Hernandez	+425
Fernando Tatis Jr.	+375
Manny Machado	+450
Jackson Merrill	+450

Read San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers NLDS schedule, start times, how to watch and pitching matchups on site.

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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.