MLB picks and expert predictions: Dominant Dodgers to overpower Padres

Our expert MLB handicapper John Lepore looks ahead to Sunday night's clash between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers...

Andrew Heaney LA Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney - © Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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John Lepore

MLB Betting Expert

John is a respected MLB analyst, author and handicapper who has over 10 years' experience of betting big on baseball.

MLB expert picks: San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers (Sunday, September 4: 7.00 EDT)

FixtureSan Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers
WhenSunday, September 4, 7:00 EDT
Likely StartersMike Clevinger vs. Andrew Heaney
Where to watchESPN

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be the best team in baseball. They logged their 90th win before September 1st. They are a juggernaut and should lock up the top seed in the National League in a few weeks. Meanwhile, their division rivals, the San Diego Padres, continue to fight to keep that last Wild Card spot. Only 2.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Padres will need every win they can get over the final four weeks of the season. 

Mike Clevinger goes for the Padres. The right-hander has been up and down this season. He still has a good 3.59 ERA. His strikeout rate is at its highest since 2019 and his walk rate is the lowest of his career. Clevinger has a talent for inducing soft contact with an average exit velocity of 87.2 (MLB average is 88.4). He will need everything working for him against the Dodgers. 

Andrew Heaney has found new life in a Dodger uniform. While he has had a short leash recently, the lefty has 28 strikeouts in his past 15.2 innings. He has given up three or fewer runs in all 10 of his starts this season. He is a new pitcher lately and could have his way with the Padres. However, in the outing he had against San Diego on August 6th, Heaney struck out just three which was the fewest of the season.  

Padres player to watch: Juan Soto 

While Soto hasn’t been the dominant player the Padres envisioned, he has been better than Josh Bell and Brandon Drury, their other two big trade deadline acquisitions. Soto is slashing .269/.424/.449 with three home runs and six RBIs in 23 games for San Diego. He has scored 18 runs in that time and has been obviously his usual on-base machine. He is starting his second career with a new team; Soto will be looking to bring his game to another level before a new contract in a couple of years. 

Dodgers player to watch: Mookie Betts 

While there are other players that get hyped up in the major leagues much more like Aaron Judge or Mike Trout, make no mistake, Betts is in that top tier with them. Betts is third in the NL behind Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in WAR and has 32 home runs with a .917 OPS. He has also chipped in 12 stolen bases and leads the league in runs scored with 101. Betts also gets it done with the glove, winning five Gold Gloves already at just 29 years old. He is one of the best and will be a Hall of Famer when his career is over. 

San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers conclusion and prediction 

The Dodgers are an absolute force right now. They have also won eight of the 10 games against the Padres this season so far outscoring them 55-18. Clevinger has been a little inconsistent and Heaney seems to have found his groove at the right time. Despite Los Angeles likely being heavy favorites, I’ll take them to win this one with some power to show as well. 

MLB Picks: 

Dodgers if the line is -130 or better 

Over if the line is 7.5 or better 

Betts Over 1.5 total bases if the line is +110 or better 

MLB
7/18/2023, 10:40 PM
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Philadelphia
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7/18/2023, 11:05 PM
LA Dodgers
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Cleveland
Cleveland @
Pittsburgh
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San Diego
San Diego @
Toronto
Toronto
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7/18/2023, 11:10 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/18/2023, 11:10 PM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
NY Mets
NY Mets
MLB
7/18/2023, 11:20 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Atlanta
Atlanta
MLB
7/18/2023, 11:45 PM
Miami
Miami @
St. Louis
St. Louis
MLB
7/19/2023, 12:05 AM
Washington
Washington @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/19/2023, 12:05 AM
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay @
Texas
Texas
MLB
7/19/2023, 12:10 AM
Detroit
Detroit @
Kansas City
Kansas City
MLB
7/19/2023, 12:40 AM
Houston
Houston @
Colorado
Colorado
MLB
7/19/2023, 1:38 AM
NY Yankees
NY Yankees @
LA Angels
LA Angels
MLB
7/19/2023, 1:40 AM
Boston
Boston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/19/2023, 1:40 AM
Minnesota
Minnesota @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/19/2023, 4:35 PM
Cleveland
Cleveland @
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
MLB
7/19/2023, 5:05 PM
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers @
Baltimore
Baltimore
MLB
7/19/2023, 6:05 PM
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay @
Texas
Texas
MLB
7/19/2023, 6:15 PM
Miami
Miami @
St. Louis
St. Louis
MLB
7/19/2023, 7:10 PM
Houston
Houston @
Colorado
Colorado
MLB
7/19/2023, 7:37 PM
Boston
Boston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/19/2023, 10:40 PM
Milwaukee
Milwaukee @
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
MLB
7/19/2023, 11:07 PM
San Diego
San Diego @
Toronto
Toronto
MLB
7/19/2023, 11:07 PM
NY Yankees
NY Yankees @
LA Angels
LA Angels
MLB
7/19/2023, 11:10 PM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
NY Mets
NY Mets
MLB
7/19/2023, 11:10 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/19/2023, 11:20 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Atlanta
Atlanta
MLB
7/20/2023, 12:05 AM
Washington
Washington @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/20/2023, 12:10 AM
Detroit
Detroit @
Kansas City
Kansas City
MLB
7/20/2023, 1:40 AM
Minnesota
Minnesota @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/20/2023, 4:20 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Atlanta
Atlanta
MLB
7/20/2023, 4:35 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/20/2023, 4:35 PM
Milwaukee
Milwaukee @
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
MLB
7/20/2023, 5:07 PM
San Diego
San Diego @
Toronto
Toronto
MLB
7/20/2023, 5:10 PM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
NY Mets
NY Mets
MLB
7/20/2023, 6:10 PM
Detroit
Detroit @
Kansas City
Kansas City
MLB
7/20/2023, 7:40 PM
Minnesota
Minnesota @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/20/2023, 10:40 PM
Baltimore
Baltimore @
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
MLB
7/21/2023, 12:05 AM
St. Louis
St. Louis @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/21/2023, 1:40 AM
Houston
Houston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/21/2023, 6:20 PM
St. Louis
St. Louis @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/21/2023, 10:40 PM
Colorado
Colorado @
Miami
Miami
MLB
7/21/2023, 10:40 PM
San Diego
San Diego @
Detroit
Detroit
MLB
7/21/2023, 10:40 PM
Baltimore
Baltimore @
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
MLB
7/21/2023, 11:05 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Washington
Washington
MLB
7/21/2023, 11:05 PM
Kansas City
Kansas City @
NY Yankees
NY Yankees
MLB
7/21/2023, 11:10 PM
Philadelphia
Philadelphia @
Cleveland
Cleveland
MLB
7/21/2023, 11:10 PM
NY Mets
NY Mets @
Boston
Boston
MLB
7/21/2023, 11:10 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/22/2023, 12:05 AM
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers @
Texas
Texas
MLB
7/22/2023, 12:10 AM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
Minnesota
Minnesota
MLB
7/22/2023, 12:10 AM
Atlanta
Atlanta @
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
MLB
7/22/2023, 1:38 AM
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh @
LA Angels
LA Angels
MLB
7/22/2023, 1:40 AM
Houston
Houston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/22/2023, 2:10 AM
Toronto
Toronto @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/22/2023, 5:05 PM
Kansas City
Kansas City @
NY Yankees
NY Yankees
MLB
7/22/2023, 5:10 PM
Colorado
Colorado @
Miami
Miami
MLB
7/22/2023, 6:20 PM
St. Louis
St. Louis @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/22/2023, 8:05 PM
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers @
Texas
Texas
MLB
7/22/2023, 8:10 PM
NY Mets
NY Mets @
Boston
Boston
MLB
7/22/2023, 8:10 PM
Toronto
Toronto @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/22/2023, 8:10 PM
Baltimore
Baltimore @
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
MLB
7/22/2023, 8:10 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/22/2023, 10:10 PM
San Diego
San Diego @
Detroit
Detroit
MLB
7/22/2023, 11:05 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Washington
Washington
MLB
7/22/2023, 11:10 PM
Philadelphia
Philadelphia @
Cleveland
Cleveland
MLB
7/22/2023, 11:15 PM
Atlanta
Atlanta @
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
MLB
7/22/2023, 11:15 PM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
Minnesota
Minnesota
MLB
7/23/2023, 1:07 AM
Houston
Houston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/23/2023, 1:07 AM
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh @
LA Angels
LA Angels
MLB
7/23/2023, 4:05 PM
San Diego
San Diego @
Detroit
Detroit
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:35 PM
Kansas City
Kansas City @
NY Yankees
NY Yankees
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:35 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Washington
Washington
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:40 PM
Philadelphia
Philadelphia @
Cleveland
Cleveland
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:40 PM
Baltimore
Baltimore @
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:40 PM
Arizona
Arizona @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
MLB
7/23/2023, 5:40 PM
Colorado
Colorado @
Miami
Miami
MLB
7/23/2023, 6:10 PM
Atlanta
Atlanta @
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
MLB
7/23/2023, 6:10 PM
Chi. White Sox
Chi. White Sox @
Minnesota
Minnesota
MLB
7/23/2023, 6:20 PM
St. Louis
St. Louis @
Chi. Cubs
Chi. Cubs
MLB
7/23/2023, 6:35 PM
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers @
Texas
Texas
MLB
7/23/2023, 8:07 PM
Houston
Houston @
Oakland
Oakland
MLB
7/23/2023, 8:07 PM
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh @
LA Angels
LA Angels
MLB
7/23/2023, 8:10 PM
Toronto
Toronto @
Seattle
Seattle
MLB
7/23/2023, 11:10 PM
NY Mets
NY Mets @
Boston
Boston
MLB
7/24/2023, 5:10 PM
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Detroit
Detroit
MLB
7/24/2023, 11:10 PM
Kansas City
Kansas City @
Cleveland
Cleveland
MLB
7/25/2023, 12:10 AM
Texas
Texas @
Houston
Houston
MLB
7/25/2023, 1:40 AM
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh @
San Diego
San Diego
MLB
7/25/2023, 1:40 AM
St. Louis
St. Louis @
Arizona
Arizona
MLB
7/25/2023, 2:10 AM
Toronto
Toronto @
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers

Last updated: Jul 18, 2:05 PM UTC

MLB Odds

Moneyline
Run Line
Total
Odds Settings
Game
Jul 17, 23 @ 11:10 PM UTC
San Francisco
San Francisco @
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
Jul 18, 23 @ 10:40 PM UTC
Milwaukee
Milwaukee @
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Jul 18, 23 @ 11:05 PM UTC
Cleveland
Cleveland @
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Jul 18, 23 @ 11:05 PM UTC
LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers @
Baltimore
Baltimore

Odds updated: Jul 18, 2:08 PM UTC