With all due respect to the Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees that will undoubtedly grab most of the weekend headlines in Major League Baseball, the best match-up in Friday's slate of games will take place in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers host the San Diego Padres in a battle of National League West contenders. BetOnline.com has the Los Angeles Dodgers -108 odds favorites against the San Diego Padres -102 with the over/under set at 7 runs.
The Padres will send defending Cy Young winner Jake Peavy (2-0, 0.56) to the mound, and the 26-year-old righthander looks like he wants to add to his trophy case with his start to the season.
Peavy has allowed only one run in 16 innings so far, which came in a two-hit complete-game performance in a 4-1 win over the Dodgers last Saturday. This is a continuation of Peavy's dominance over the Dodgers, as he went 3-0 in five starts last season with an ERA of 2.08.
The Dodgers will counter with Brad Penny (1-1, 2.84), who was the losing pitcher last week against Peavy and will be looking for a bit of revenge. The 29-year-old righthander gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings, which is not a terrible effort, but when you are up against Peavy, you need to be at the top of your game. Penny had only one start against the Padres last season, earning a no-decision by allowing a run on five hits over seven innings in a 3-1 loss to San Diego.
The Dodgers took two of three in San Diego last weekend, and of course, Peavy was the only thing standing between Los Angeles and a sweep. The Padres will begin the series with a victory, simply because Peavy appears to be in midseason form already, which does not bode well for the rest of the National League. Get your Free MLB Pick in Now!
San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers – 10:40 PM ET
Free MLB Pick: San Diego Padres
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