Free Picks: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres

In the NL West, you need to fight fire with fire. And Saturday evening, we will see two of the best pitchers go head-to-head as the Dodgers continue their three-game set with San Diego. With such prestige and talent on the mound, will we see a ton of run-scoring from two teams that also have elite offenses?

Everyone is well aware of how strong the Dodgers’ pitching staff is. With the addition of Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers easily own the best starting pitching staffs in professional baseball.

Life is hard in San Diego for the Padres. Contenders in the division, this weekend the resurged Padres are learning what it takes to become World Series champion.

In their second of three-weekend games, the Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound. Opposite of Kershaw will be Yu Darvish for the Padres.

With these two pitching phenoms on the mound, I think it’s only fitting that we focus on total runs for this MLB prediction.

Despite a rocky start to the season, Kershaw has dialed it in recent starts. He has allowed one run in 13 innings over his last two starts, sporting a 2.89 ERA on the year. In 40 starts against the Padres, Kershaw is 21-7 with a 2.03 ERA.

Darvish has been stellar to open the season. The former teammate of Kershaw and the rest of the Dodgers, Darvish is 1-0 on the year with 19 strikeouts. His ERA could be brought down just a tad, but still has a respectable 3.06 ERA.

I think taking the under in total runs will be your best MLB bet. For one, I think the total runs is relatively high at 8.5. On top of that, Kershaw pitching alone could result in the under. Cap that off with Darvish on the other side and hitters will have a tough time at the dish on Saturday.

LA is one of the highest-scoring teams in the Majors currently, but the Padres aren’t. That isn’t to say San Diego is struggling to score runs, but there is a different and noticeable level of offense between San Diego and LA this season.

Despite the talented hitters on both sides, Darvish and Kershaw should carve hitters this weekend. It’s in their blood to challenge hitters and make them look silly.

Expect a low-scoring game that goes the distance, but is ultimately a pitching duel. Runs will be scored, but I am confident in this expert pick.

• Kershaw has an ERA of 2 against SDP in last 3 starts.
• The O/U is 5-5 in last 10 between these teams.
• Darvish has an ERA of 3 against LA in last 3 starts.
• The Padres rank 8^th in run defence at home.