Padres vs. Dodgers Prediction, Odds and Probable Pitchers for Thursday, Sept. 26 (Fade Walker Buehler)

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers matchup on Thursday night.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers gave themselves some breathing room over the San Diego Padres in the NL West on Wednesday night with a win in Game 2 of their series, but they’ll need to do it again on Thursday to clinch the division title.

San Diego has the No. 1 wild card spot in the NL, and it should remain there barring an insane collapse over the weekend. 

Los Angeles is hoping that Walker Buehler can find some success against its NL West rival despite struggling for most of the 2024 season.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, key players to watch and my best bet for Thursday’s matchup. 

Padres vs. Dodgers Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

• Padres +1.5 (-205)
• Dodgers -1.5 (+170)

Moneyline

• Padres: +102
• Dodgers: -122

Total

• 8.5 (Over -102/Under -118)

Padres vs. Dodgers Probable Pitchers

• San Diego: Joe Musgrove (6-5, 3.95 ERA)
• Los Angeles: Walker Buehler (1-6, 5.63 ERA)

Padres vs. Dodgers How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 26
• Time: 10:10 p.m. EST
• Venue: Dodger Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): MLB Network, Spectrum SportsNet
• Padres record: 91-67
• Dodgers record: 94-64

Padres vs. Dodgers Key Players to Watch

San Diego Padres

Jackson Merrill: Merrill is elite against right-handed pitching, hitting .310/.342/.548 with 19 of his 24 homers this season. He’s also been hot over the last two weeks, hitting .366 overall. I think he has a great matchup against Buehler(5.63 ERA) on Thursday. In 15 starts this season, Buehler has allowed 16 home runs, giving up at least one home run in 11 of those outings.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Walker Buehler: If the Dodgers are going to make a deep playoff run, they’re going to need Buehler to find his old form since they have so many injuries in their rotation. So far this season, the former ace has allowed 84 hits and 51 runs in just 70.1 innings of work. 

Padres vs. Dodgers Prediction and Pick

San Diego isn’t going to make things easy on the Dodgers when it comes to winning the division, and I simply can’t trust Buehler (1-6 record) to outduel Musgrove.

The Dodgers are just 8-7 in Buehler’s starts this season, while the Padres are 11-7 in Musgrove’s outings.

Over his last six starts, Musgrove hasn't given up a run four times, an insane stretch that has lowered his ERA below 4.00 on the season.

I think San Diego makes things interesting in the division race heading into the final weekend of the season. 

Pick: Padres Moneyline (+102)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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