Padres (Clevinger) vs Dodgers (Buehler) Game 1 Picks and Odds – Oct. 6th

• Walker Buehler will get the start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres
• Trade-deadline acquisition Mike Clevinger takes the mound for the Padres
• LA is a heavy favorite to take the first game in the best-of-five series on Tuesday evening (Oct. 6th,  9:38 pm ET)

It will be like the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking in the mirror as they face the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Dodgers were the young, up-and-coming contender in the NL West.

That’s who the Padres are today, getting their first taste of MLB postseason action off to a successful start by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in the NL Wild Card round.

The Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in their Wild Card set. Walker Buehler, who got the start in Game 1 of that series, also gets the nod for Game 1 of the NLDS on Tuesday (9:38 pm ET).

The Padres will counter with Mike Clevinger, who missed the Wild Card round due to injury. The Padres vs Dodgers odds show LA as the -160 favorite to take the opener of this best-of-five series.

Padres vs Dodgers Game 1 Odds

Odds as of Oct. 5 at Pointsbet.

All games in the series will be played back to back at the neutral site of Globe Life Field in Arlington, Tex.

Buehler’s Blistering Pace

The Dodgers are playing it safe with Buehler, who’s dealing with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand. They limited him to four innings of work in Game 1 against the Brewers. But what a four innings it was. Buehler struck out eight.

He’ll likely be held to a similar limit in this game. It’s a move the Dodgers can afford to make, because they posted the best ERA (3.02) and opposition batting average (.213) in the major leagues this season, so they have depth of quality arms.

Walker Buehler, Overpowering 3 Pitch K. 🔥

All Fastballs. pic.twitter.com/fkmAGUPRt3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 1, 2020

The right-hander led the NL in winning percentage (.778) and complete games (two) last season. Buehler hasn’t taken a loss since Sept. 21, 2019.

In five career starts against the Padres, Buehler is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA. Buehler has struck out 45 in 33 innings. He’s held San Diego hitters to a .147 batting average, a .210 on-base percentage and a .504 OPS.

Padres Perplexed by Pitching Woes

San Diego waited right up until Tuesday’s 11:00 am ET deadline to submit its roster for the NLDS. While the Dodgers are pretty much set when it comes to their pitching blueprint, the Padres’ gameplan is the more, the better.

The Friars rostered 14 pitches for the Wild Card round. They set a record, deploying nine pitchers to beat the Cardinals in Game 3.

It’s expected that they’ll suit up even more arms for the race against LA. There’s speculation that top prospect MacKenzie Gore will make his major-league debut during postseason play.

Mike Clevinger has pushed hard in recent days to start Game 1 of the NLDS. After three throwing sessions (2 flat ground, 1 bullpen) and coming out of each pain free, there are strong indications he will take the mound today against the Dodgers.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) October 6, 2020

San Diego’s uncertainty about the health of  right-handed starters Mike Clevinger (posterior elbow impingement) and Dinelson Lamet (elbow) was at the root of this dilemma.  Clevinger threw a bullpen session on Sunday in the hopes he’d be ready to roll in this series and it worked. He’ll get the call for Game 1.

It will be Clevinger’s first action on the mound since Sept. 23, which offers a glimmer of hope to the Padres. Acquired at the MLB trade deadline from the Cleveland Indians, he’s never faced the Dodgers.

Ultimately, though, it’s this uncertainty in their pitching staff that will be the Padres’ downfall, both in Game 1 and in the series.

Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-160)