Is there anything better than Independence Day baseball? Tonight, the MLB slate closes out the holiday with some fireworks as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto host the San Diego Padres and Wandy Peralta. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a betting prediction and pick for this Padres vs. Dodgers matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Padres vs. Dodgers prediction, preview<\/p>\n
San Diego Padres<\/p>\n
The visitors are mired in the MLB\u2019s longest active losing streak after dropping seven straight matchups. Now, they\u2019ve dipped to 43-44 as we\u2019re seeing more of what this team really is, and a -42 run differential proves it. The Padres\u2019 offense produces just 3.94 runs per game, the fewest in baseball. That\u2019s no surprise when they slash .225\/.301\/375 for a .676 OPS that falls second-to-last. A .150 ISO is perfectly fine and the 93 homers are respectable, even on the lower end. Even a 9.0% BB% and a 22.8% K% aren\u2019t bad; they just can\u2019t overcome such a poor slash line and an MLB-worst .268 BABIP. If it\u2019s any consolation, the bats are slightly better against right-handers like they face tonight with a .222\/.302\/.377 line for a .679 cumulative mark, plus the overall OPS is .790 in the last two weeks.<\/p>\n
LHP Wandy Peralta comes out of the bullpen to start with 38 games under his belt, three of which were technically starts. He\u2019s not likely to go more than two innings but brings a strong 2.38 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and 30 strikeouts across 45.1 IP this year. The bullpen backing him is quite good with a 3.72 ERA that ranks ninth, plus a 1.31 WHIP and 14.1% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n
The Dodgers still hold sole possession of the MLB\u2019s best record at 58-31 and are 8-2 over their own last 10 outings. The overall run differential is +163 on the year and they\u2019re averaging 5.37 runs a night. The club paces the sport in OPS at .792 via a .266\/.349\/.444 slash line, also sitting third in ISO at .178 with 121 home runs. Los Angeles also maintains an excellent 10.6% BB% with a low 20.2% K%, so the plate process looks fantastic and is a major asset. Facing a left-handed pitcher means the worse side of the splits, but the Dodgers still slash .251\/.336\/.425 for a .761 OPS against southpaws.<\/p>\n
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes his 16th start tonight after going 8-5 thus far. He\u2019s got a 2.67 ERA, an 0.89 WHIP and 90 strikeouts across 97.2 IP. The Dodgers\u2019 bullpen also falls 10th in ERA at 3.74, also amassing a 1.22 WHIP with a 15.5% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Padres vs. Dodgers pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Dodgers as -274 home favorites on the Moneyline tonight. The Padres are underdogs with +220 odds to win outright. The total sits at 8.5 combined runs.<\/p>\n