The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres kick off the MLB’s regular season in the 2024 MLB World Tour: Seoul Series in South Korea. This star-studded series features a fully loaded Dodgers squad that recently acquired one of the most dynamic baseball players the game has ever seen, Shohei Ohtani. Meanwhile, nobody knows what the Padres are doing. They got rid of Juan Soto and recently acquired White Sox ace Dylan Cease.
That stuff does not matter; what matters is what you are here for…THE BETS. Let’s get into them.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Betting Odds
Picks in this piece are courtesy of Bovada. At Bovada, you can get great odds on all of the top college basketball matchups every day.
Write Up Transparency
Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @C_marchio2 to get my full card every day! Check my Action profile on the Action app @cmarchio
First bets of the MLB season. Let’s start the season off right!
Spread
Dodgers: (-1.5) (-120)
Padres: (+1.5) (+100)
Total
Over: 8.5 (-120)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
Moneyline
Dodgers: -194
Padres: +159
Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Props & Parlays
Los Angeles Dodgers Star, Shohei Ohtani Taking Hacks
Prop: Fernando Tatis Jr. Runs+RBIs Over 0.5 (-141) Get These Odds & Sign Up Bonus @ Bovada
The Stank:
For transparency purposes, I initially bet this as hits+runs+rbis at 1.5 (-110). So, if you find that bet on your book, take it. If you like my sell job, add it to a parlay or take it straight.
Let’s dive into this one.
Fernando Tatis comes into this game with the second-best matchup rating, according to Batters-Box.com. He is also going up against the Dodgers’ new starter, Tyler Glasnow, for the first time in his young career. Glasnow has three main pitches: a fastball, a slider (his best pitch), and a curveball. Tatis hit all of those three pitches pretty well last season. He had a wRC+ over 120 vs all those pitches (anything over 100 is good) in 2023 while recording an OPS over .786 against all three pitches.
Tatis has a solid chance at scoring if he gets on base in this game, especially since he is at the top of the lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Longshot Game Prop: Shohei Ohtani Home Run (+225)
Get These Odds & Sign Up Bonus @ Bovada
The Stank:
The value here alone is worth a sprinkle. Shohei has been the most elite hitter in baseball over the past couple of seasons, and anything over +170 for him to hit a home run is excellent value.
Also, for transparency, I typically always go half a unit on all home run bets. It’s a home run; they do not happen every at-bat.
Introducing the Shohei Ohtani Signature Logo from New Balance ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/RPLCeAtm14
— MLB (@MLB) March 19, 2024
Ohtani is going up against 37-year-old Padres starter Yu Darvish. He has a plethora of pitches but leans on his slider, sinker, and fastball, all of which are some of his worst pitches. Two of the three were below league average last season, and with Father Time creeping up on Darvish, I doubt these pitches are going to improve drastically, especially against this Dodgers lineup.
Last season, against these pitches, Ohtani had an OPS of at least .876 and a wRC+ of 147 or better. If Darvish throws Ohtani a fastball or sinker in his sweet spot, it is going to the moon.
Silly Goose Parlay: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman & Shohei Ohanti All to Record a Hit (+104) Get These Odds & Sign Up Bonus @ Bovada
The Stank:
The infamous Silly Goose Parlay is back!
Apply everything you just read about Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani to this parlay.
Mookie Betts crushed Darvish’s repertoire last season, batting .268 or better, with a wRC+ of at least 149 and an OPS of 886. This spring, Betts has been killing it; in 34 at-bats, he is batting .441, with a 1.31 OPS.
"We had one game where it went single, single, single and it was like boom. I was like, 'Oh, this is kinda fun.'"
What's next this year for Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani? The @Dodgers talented trio sat down with Harold for their first-ever interview together. pic.twitter.com/UfOzlCbe0S
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 18, 2024
Freddie Freeman has always succeeded against Darvish, which should continue Wednesday morning. In his 31 at-bats against Darvish, he is hitting a cool crisp average of .290 and an OPS of .998. Freeman destroys all three of Darvish’s pitches. Against fastballs and sinkers, he is batting .346 and has a wRC+ of 180+. The guy destroys anything and everything Darvish is going to throw at him.
I like the Dodgers’ three-headed monster to get a hit and roll through Yu Darvish in his first start of the regular season.
Interested in More Content?
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Follow me on X @C_marchio2 for all of my picks and sports opinions!
Be sure to check out all things Betting News on X and Twitch!
While you are at it go get some merch at our Betting News Store!
In need of a sportsbook? Check out one of our favorites below and sign-up for a bonus!
Interested in Learning More About Betting on the MLB?
We have tons of MLB betting resources, ranging from daily predictions to expert picks and you can find them below to help you get started.
Also, follow Betting News on X/Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok to get more daily sports betting insight and more from the Betting News team.