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The San Diego Padres will play their first home playoff game of the postseason, welcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series. The series is squared at one apiece after the Padres stole Game 2 with a 5-3 win.
In what had all the makings of being a pitcher duel on Wednesday night, the two NL West clubs combined for five home runs, tied for the most in the postseason so far.
Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw, who seemed to put his postseason demons to rest after winning a Mickey Mouse World Series ring in 2020, labored through five innings of three-run ball. His counterpart, Padres ace Yu Darvish, had a nearly identical line, except he served up three separate homers compared to Kershaw. San Diego 3B Manny Machado got the scoring started, hitting his second homer run of the postseason in the first. The Superstar has been slugging a robust .636 so far in the playoffs. The Dodgers answered back from a 1-0 and 3-2 deficit, but LF Jurickson Profar gave the Padres the lead for good with an RBI single in the sixth. 2B Jake Cronenworth gave San Diego an insurance run in the eighth, wrapping a solo shot around the right field foul pole.
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The Dodgers will call on SP Tony Gonsolin for Game 3 in San Diego. Gonsolin, an early-season Cy Young candidate, missed all of September due to a forearm issue. However, the 28-year-old returned to the bump for a tune-up game against the Colorado Rockies on October 3, firing two innings of one-run ball.
The first-time All-Star finished the year with a stellar 2.14 ERA and a career-best 196 ERA+. Although Gonsolin has had an outstanding four-year career, the Dodgers have opted to only pitch him 13 postseason innings throughout seven separate series. As a result, the 6'3 righty has a grotesque 9.45 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in the postseason. He was shelled in last year's NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, giving up five earned runs in three separate appearances.
The good news for the Dodgers is that Gonsolin owns the Padres. His 1.45 ERA and 0.710 WHIP are the best among teams faced over five times. Gonsolin will be tasked with taking on the Padres in San Diego, where he has allowed just one run on four hits in nine innings.
Opposing Gonsolin will be San Diego SP Blake Snell. Snell, nicknamed Snellzilla during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays, will make his second postseason start. The crafty lefty struggled in his Wild Card outing against the Mets, allowing a pair of runs in 3.1 innings in the eventual 7-3 loss. All in all, Snell owns a 3.05 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 38.1 playoff innings. However, the former Cy Young winner has found success against Los Angeles, going 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 1.135 WHIP in nine career starts. The dominance is even more apparent in LA, where his ERA dips to 2.08.
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Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Betting Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San DIego Padres Betting Prediction
It's always a risky business betting against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unsurprisingly for most, the NL West squad led the Majors in run differential while winning a franchise-best 111 games. Petco Park should be a rocking environment on Friday night, as the Padres will host a home playoff game for the first time since 2006. Backing Blake Snell with plus money seems to be the move, especially considering his track record against the Dodgers. Shortening the game to an F5 bet is the best way to avoid the Dodgers' bats for a third time through the order.
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Prediction: Padres F5 (+105 at FanDuel)
