Tuesday night baseball and I will have a Free Pick in game 3 of a three game series between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which will be played at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for a 10:10 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Padres +125
Dodgers -135
Over/ Under: 7 U -115
Analysis: The San Diego Padres may have had the biggest offseason on any team this year and they continued it with a big trade for Kimbrel and Upton on the eve of the MLB season. The Padres have been considered by most as a contender in the NL West as they have added plenty of offense to go along with a very stout pitching staff. The Padres have started 1-1 on the year after evening up the series last night with a solid 7-3 win. Getting the ball for the Padres tonight will be Andrew Cashner, who went just 5-7 in 19 starts for the Padres last year, but with a solid 2.55 ERA. Andrew faced the Dodgers 3 times last year and was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in those starts.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are again the favorites to win the NL West, which would be their 3rd straight division title should they win it. The Dodgers have now made it to the post season 6 times since 2004 but have not made it to the World Series over that stretch. Well this year they feel it will finally happen as they have plenty of solid pitching to go along with an improved offensive lineup. Taking the hill for the Dodgers tonight will be Brandon McCarthy, who was 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA for Arizona last year and then got traded to the Yanks, where he went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA. In his career, Brandon is now 8-21 with a 4.75 ERA when pitching in the NL, compared to a 44-44 mark with a 3.88 ERA as an AL pitcher. Brandon is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA in 6 career starts vs the Padres.
Pick: I will be looking at the Over in this game. Brandon McCarthy has been a horrible pitcher when he has pitched in the National League and I feel that he will have some issues for a stronger Padres offense in this one. Brandon has a 4.75 career ERA as a National League starter and even though he has just a 2.43 ERA vs the Padres I still see him having some struggles vs this stronger offense. The Dodgers offense also looks stronger and they should be able to get to Cashner for a few. The first game in this series put up 9 runs, while last night's put up 10. This one should get at least 8.
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