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Two red-hot NL West ballclubs meet for a marquee series as the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
L.A. enters the series on a five-game winning streak and a half-game lead over San Diego, which is fresh off a sweep of Seattle.
My Dodgers vs. Padres predictions and MLB picks have the cream rising to the top in this series opener on Monday, May 18.
Who will win Dodgers vs Padres today: Los Angeles Dodgers (-154)
If you only checked the standings, only a half-run separates these two NL West rivals. However, take a closer inspection, and a chasm appears.
The San Diego Padres’ 28-18 record involves some smoke and mirrors — their 23-23 BaseRuns record indicates they’ve played more like a .500 ballclub.
That stands in stark contrast to the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose 32-15 BaseRuns record states they could have three more wins in their already fine 29-18 record.
San Diego has the second-worst wOBA (.276) and third-worst wRC+ (76) this month. That puts them at a significant disadvantage against L.A., which ranks seventh in both metrics.
Covers
COVERS INTEL:
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto has an excellent 19.5% K-BB%, which’ll play against a Padres lineup that has the seventh-worst BB/K (0.31) this month.
Dodgers vs Padres Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-105)
The expectation is for a low-scoring game, and I concur, given that it features two quality starting pitchers and two strong bullpens behind them (San Diego league-best 2.44 FIP this month; LA 2.46).
L.A. is 3-5 O/U when Yamamoto takes the hill. He’s struck out 7+ batters in four of his last five starts and should find plenty of whiffs against a Padres lineup with the fifth-worst K rate (24.9%) against RHP in May.
San Diego is 2-7 O/U in Michael King’s starts, and he’s allowed two or fewer earned runs seven times.
JD Yonke's 2026 Transparency Record
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ML/RL bets: 14-13, -2.84 units
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Over/Under bets: 20-8, +11.64 units
Dodgers vs Padres odds
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Moneyline: Dodgers -149 | Padres +123
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Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (+114) | Padres +1.5 (-137)
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Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-114) | Under 7.5 (-105)
Dodgers vs Padres trend
The Dodgers are 6-1 in their last seven road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Padres.
How to watch Dodgers vs Padres and game info
Location
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Date
Monday, May 18, 2026
First pitch
9:40 p.m. ET
TV
SportsNet LA, Padres.TV
Dodgers starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
(3-3, 3.60 ERA)
Padres starting pitcher
Michael King
(3-2, 2.63 ERA)
Dodgers vs Padres latest injuries
Dodgers vs Padres weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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