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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts after hitting an RBI single against the San Diego Padres.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts after hitting an RBI single against the San Diego Padres. Photo by Kirby Lee via Imagn Images.

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers will square off one more time during the 2024 regular season, and Thursday's game once again features massive implications for the NL West standings.

Our Padres vs. Dodgers prediction looks at the rubber match of this three-game set in Los Angeles, which gets underway at 10:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium.

Taking the mound for the home team is the struggling Walker Buehler, who's trying to show his team he can be a competent piece of the rotation in the postseason.

Meanwhile, Joe Musgrove gets the nod for the Padres, and he's had a very strong second half of the season. Musgrove enters this contest with a 2.86 ERA during the last month (five starts, 28 1/3 innings).

Standing in the middle of it all is, of course, NL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani, who enters the contest with 53 home runs and 56 stolen bases. Can he add to those otherworldly totals on Thursday? And if he does, will it be enough to lead the Dodgers to victory?

Padres vs. Dodgers predictions

MLB odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Who will win Padres vs. Dodgers?

First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET, Dodger Stadium

Padres to win (-105) ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -105 via Betway | Implied probability: 51.22%

The Dodgers may be the World Series odds favorites, but they're up against the one team that perhaps no one wants to face in the playoffs.

San Diego is very much a contender when October hits, between its talented rotation - Dylan Cease, Musgrove, and Michael King form a nasty trio for Games 1 through 3 - and powerhouse lineup, as the Padres are fifth by wRC+ and enter the postseason with nearly a completely healthy roster.

Los Angeles knows the threat the Padres pose, so the Dodgers will do everything they can to break their NL West rival's spirits on Thursday. However, it will be all for naught.

As previously mentioned, Buehler has been impressively bad in 2024. His 5.63 ERA is easily the worst of his career, and he's lucky he's not in the minors with fellow right-hander Bobby Miller. Buehler was hit around at home by the Colorado Rockies of all teams in his last start, giving up four earned over 5 1/3. If he pitches like that against the Padres, he'll be in for an even shorter night.

These are great odds on the Padres, as they should likely be trading as the favorites with Musgrove on the mound. He's allowed zero earned runs in four of his last six starts, and he should pitch well enough on Thursday to allow San Diego's elite 7-8-9 bullpen combo to finish off the Dodgers.

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Shohei Ohtani prop bet

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Prediction: Ohtani Over 0.5 stolen bases ⭐⭐

Ohtani is just different, man.

The megastar stole another base on Wednesday, going 2-for-3 and leading the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory. He has an absurd eight steals across his last seven games, taking his total up to 56 on the season. 

We're well past the point of worrying about projections when it comes to Ohtani, especially here in late September. He's going to do whatever he wants, defying logic in the process. What he wants right now is to steal bases for fun, so let's profit off of that.

We're getting solid +220 odds on this prop, as Ohtani was as short as +130 a week ago to steal a base. Sure, the motivation to go 50/50 is gone, but that hasn't stopped him from running wild.

Additionally, we know Ohtani will do whatever it takes to get the Dodgers the win on Thursday, and if that includes stealing a base, he absolutely will try to.

Best odds: +220 via Betway | Implied probability: 31.25%

Padres vs. Dodgers odds & game info

  • When: Thursday, Sept. 26
  • First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
  • Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
  • How to watch: Spectrum SportsNet LA
  • Favorite: Dodgers (-115 via Betway)

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