The defending World Series Champion Dodgers send out ace superstar LHP Clayton Kershaw (2-1) to mix it up against the Padres and RHP Yu Darvish (1-0). This one promises to be an old-school pitcher’s duel. As I see it; Los Angeles, who, going into Friday, had won 6 straight, combined with Kershaw’s masterful control, I pick the Dodgers to win.
The world champion first place Dodgers head south along the Pacific coast to battle their division rival Padres. Kershaw and Darvish. What could be better on a Saturday night? Money talks in wins in the Major Leagues and if you are looking for MLB betting odds then you’ll want to keep track of where the $ is being spent. Since 2019, when the Padres ranked 24th (of 30) in MLB salary the San Diego ownership group has leapt into the top 10 the past two seasons in spending and yet, with a total payroll of over $170M the Padres will still spend $100M less than the Dodgers this season! Sometimes if you want to look for hints just follow the money, today’s game is a perfect example as the Dodgers send out staff ace Clayton Kershaw (who at 31M this season still seems like a deal). Let’s get into it. The Padres look good so far this season and, although they stare up from the middle of the NL West standings at the first place Dodgers, 2nd year manager Jayce Tingler has to feel good about his team’s chances at making the postseason. Going into Friday the Padres were 9-5 and among the MLB top 10 in average, OBP and slugging. The Padres pitching staff has started strong and leads the majors in both ERA and WHIP. First Baseman Eric Hosmer is hitting .340 with a .421 OBP and 11 RBI and 2nd Baseman Jake Cronenworth has begun the season hot with a .358 average and a .435 OBP. And former Dodger Manny Machado is likely to put up big numbers for San Diego. The Padres send Japanese born 6’5” Yu Darvish to the bump to face Kershaw. Darvish, with his nasty slider and good 4-seamer and a cutter and a curve, can give any team fits and expect this one to be low scoring (at least until the teams get to the bullpens. The best thing Dodgers manager Dave Robers has going right now is his team’s offense. His Dodgers lead the bigs in runs, BA, OBP, and slugging. Muncy 1B and Turner 3B have shot out of the gate for L.A. with OPSs of 1.321 and 1.201. Turner is 4th in MLB hitting .432 and Muncy has a ridiculous early season OBP of .519. Back to Clayton Kershaw. He throws any of his pitches whenever he wants and at any ball-strike count with masterful control. The Dodgers ace looks good so far in the 2021 campaign as he is healthy after having arm and back issues which kept him off opening day rosters in the ‘19 and ‘20 seasons. Kershaw’s ERA is 2.89 with a 1.07 WHIP so far and has yet to yield a home run ball. If you’re looking how to bet on MLB in NJ, I say always look for stud starters and Kershaw might just be the studliest of them all – he is the current MLB career WHIP leader. Kershaw has every pitch, knows how to throw them and against the Padres in San Diego on Saturday, I pick Kershaw and his Dodges to win.
