The San Diego Padres (92-75) host the Los Angeles Dodgers (112-52) at Petco Park on Friday in Game 3 of their National League Divisional Playoffs series with both teams looking to take the series lead. The Padres leveled the series 1-1 after winning 5-3 on Wednesday, their sixth head-to-head victory in 21 games this season. Starter Yu Darvish went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out seven, to get the win, and Josh Hader pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his 37th save. Manny Machado went 2 for 5 with a home run and a double in the win. He had two RBIs. Jurickson Profar added one RBI on two hits. Freddie Freeman was 2 for 4 with a solo home run and a double for the Dodgers. Max Muncy added a solo home run.
ON THE MOUND
Tony Gonsolin (16-1, 2.12 ERA) is in line to start for Los Angeles. The right-hander is tied for fourth in the NL in wins. Gonsolin allowed one run over two innings in his last start, a 2-1 road defeat against the Rockies on October 3. He gave up three hits while striking out three in the no-decision. Over two previous starts against the Padres this season, Gonsolin has allowed only one earned runs over 12.2 innings (2-0, 0.71). He has struck out 14 and walked one. LHP Blake Snell (8-10, 3.38 ERA) will toe the rubber for San Diego. He has made three appearances against the Dodgers this season, all as the starter, giving up six runs over 14 innings (0-1, 3.86) with 23 strikeouts and 10 walks. In his last start on Saturday, Snell took a no-decision on the road against the Mets. He threw 3.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits, striking out five and walking six in the 7-3 loss.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Los Angeles has averaged only 3.4 runs a game, down from their season average of 5.2, while slashing worse across the board (.221/.282/.436). Against southpaws like Snell this season, the Dodgers have a .754 OPS. Mookie Betts is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .983 OPS in 156 at-bats. San Diego is averaging 4.8 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.4 for the season. The Padres have a .697 OPS against righties in 2022. With a .942 OPS over 329 at-bats, Juan Soto has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Los Angeles is 54-27 away from home in 2022, scoring 5.2 runs per game while allowing 2.9 runs. San Diego has gone 44-37 at home this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. In the last 10 games at Petco Park between the NL West rivals, Los Angeles is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.4-2.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Dodgers won the NL West. The Padres finished second in the NL West.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
LA Dodgers (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
