San Diego and Los Angeles open the 2024 MLB season from Seoul, South Korea. The Padres and Dodgers get reacquainted as rivals a good ways from home. Los Angeles and San Diego square off from thousands of miles away. Los Angeles tries to start the quest to win another World Series. Meanwhile, the Padres attempt to resurrect their division hopes while battling Los Angeles. Padres vs Dodgers bets are ready to go.
Let us add and subtract a few more numbers to get bettors ready for what figures to be an entertaining opening act. .
Dodgers vs Padres bets and those 2024 MLB Opener remembers what happened in 2023. Unfortunately for both teams, 2023 did not go exactly as planned. Los Angeles won the division last year but fell in the playoffs to the Arizona Diamondbacks. San Diego never got going and by the time they got moving in the right direction, it became way too late.
Please understand the difference between expected and actual wins. San Diego should have won between 92 and 93 games according to game probabilities. They finished right around .500. Does a team like the Padres get a little luck on their side after such a disappointing season? MLB Online Betting Odds draw up some potential predictions and more. Anyway here comes the table below.
Los Angeles gets hyped up to be this superteam. Does anyone remember how they started out last season? The answer is no. With so many competitive teams in the National League, even the San Diego Padres could challenge for the division early on. Honestly, at VegasBetting, we were fortunate with out division picks and Texas longer shot. Normally, things like that do not happen.
Anyway, the BetOnline online Sportsbook review toss in some interesting numbers. Look for some props to pop up between now and early Wednesday morning on the site. Hey, this is the softest of soft openings. The rest of the games that count do not start until March 28th.
So, the Dodgers vs Padres bets like the underdog for Wednesday. Now, danger with San Diego comes in many forms. Conversely, Yu Darvish gets the call and he has fared well against Los Angeles in the past. Furthermore, this is a game being played in South Korea. The Dodgers want to put on a show while the Padres know they must win. No one in San Diego wants to start out the way they did last season.
Now, most will think that means little. However, again the urgency sides with the Padres. They came up two games short of a wildcard spot. Pundits forget the Dodgers started off 2023 at 13-13. Meanwhile, all we hear about is that Padres’ 38-46 record after 84 games like it is gospel. Los Angeles went 87-49 the rest of the way. San Diego never fully recovered.
At +171, San Diego is at a moneyline position which could entice some bettors. Again, with no major injuries, not too much movement is expected between now and early Wednesday. Naturally, watch something crazy happen like a player slips in the shower or gets a little too tipsy. Either way, the pitching matchup sides more towards San Diego here. Darvish has more recent experience pitching against the National League.
Projections suggest that San Diego has a little edge. Los Angeles possesses more offense but San Diego has the better defense and starting pitching. Tyler Glasnow was very good in Tampa Bay in 2023. However, he has not faced National League hitters in six seasons. If his fast ball is off or up, San Diego can tee off on him early. Take the Padres.
Okay, it is time to what else can we bet on early? Some worry about soft openings like this. Those concerns are valid. When it comes to the Padres vs Dodgers bets, the common sense mindset should prevail. Bet small and explore a lot. The early part of any sports season features the expected along the unexpected. Did anyone see Baltimore coming last year? Certainly, few saw Miami and Arizona making the postseason.
While the 2024 season will be fun, let us focus on Wednesday for now. It still remains weird to see one regular season game mixed with all those Spring Training contests. An interesting bet may be the run line at +1.5 for San Diego. If one wants to hedge a fraction, San Diego lost a lot of one-run games and this one has the potential to be close. At -105, via Bovada, that becomes a viable option.
Projections and early props for batters and pitchers do not have the same buzz here. Again, the plan is to think modestly and sensibly. From the NRFI (No Run First Inning) to the Under and Overs for five innings, there is something for everyone. Do not go too far down the rabbit hole in March. The anytime home run prop might have a few options. Fernando Tatis Jr. wants to get off to a better start. At +400, a home run is not unreasonable.
Among these two teams, matchup predictors are tilted to San Diego anywhere from 54 to 58%. A Yu Darvish win is a long shot at +450. Expecting a close game keeps us on the spread right now.
The MLB Online Betting Sites are ready. Go shopping and good luck Wednesday!
