Cody Snavely
Off the heels of their first postseason win since game one of the 2022 National League Division Series, the Dodgers look to take a two-game advantage over these same Padres before Monday’s off-day.
It was a thrilling game-one win, characterized by an offensive onslaught and stressful innings for both teams’ bullpens. The Dodgers and Padres are eager to see more from their starters in the upcoming game tonight after short outings from Yamamoto and Cease.
It was the Friars’ first postseason loss this season after they swept the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round earlier this week, and they’ll look to swing the momentum back their way in a crucial game two of this potential five-game series.
On the rubber
Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17 ERA) vs Yu Darvish (7-3, 3.31 ERA)
Right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty, acquired by the Dodgers at the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, will pitch game two of this NLDS for the Dodgers.
Since being acquired by the Dodgers, the righty has six wins, two losses, a 3.58 ERA, and sixty-one strikeouts in ten appearances. Flaherty was initially set to go in game one until a last-minute switch by the team.
On the season as a whole, Flaherty put together his best campaign since the 2019 season, where he finished fourth in the National League Cy Young race, going 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA.
However, as the season went on, fatigue seemed to get to the 28-year-old pitcher. In September, he posted his worst stats of the year, having his ERA balloon to 3.76, allowing eleven runs in twenty-seven innings, and having a slight dip in velocity.
In the second half of the season, Flaherty has been a horse for the Dodgers, pitching the most innings on the starting rotation at 55.1 innings, and after Yamamoto’s short start yesterday, where the bullpen was forced to eat six innings, the Dodgers hope to get a deeper start in this one.
Going for the San Diego Padres is veteran Japanese pitch Yu Darvish, who has pitched exceptionally well against the Dodgers throughout his career.
In fifteen starts against the Dodgers in Darvish’s career, the righty has a 5-5 record with a 2.27 ERA in 91.1 innings pitched. This season, he has been even better in three starts, collecting one win in three starts and 15.2 innings.
Darvish had an up-and-down season this year, missing much of the season due to a neck issue, a groin strain, elbow inflammation, and a personal family matter.
In eleven postseason appearances, Darvish has been less than stellar, with a 4-6 record, ERA of 4.19, and 54 strikeouts. He was notoriously bad in the 2017 postseason for the Dodgers, posting a 6.14 ERA across four starts, two of which were against the Houston Astros in the World Series.
Who to watch?
While Ohtani was the hero for the Dodgers offense yesterday and was also my player to watch (yes, I’m bragging about my prediction), I am going with Max Muncy today.
Muncy did not have the best game to kick off the 2024 postseason, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Dodgers 7-5 wins.
Muncy, 34, is one of the most patient hitters in all of Major League Baseball, and fundamentally, it is what the Dodgers offense has been known for over the last several hitters, which is to work the count and not be overly aggressive.
Yesterday, Muncy was uncharacteristically aggressive, swinging more and not letting the game come to him. However, he is set to face an arm in Yu Darvish, who he has hit well in his career.
Muncy is 6-for-18 with one home run and a .924 OPS against Yu Darvish in his career, and for the Dodgers to continue their hot offense, they’ll need Muncy to step up big tonight.
For the Padres, my player to watch is starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who, as already mentioned, has pitched exceptionally well versus the Dodgers throughout his career.
The Padres, like the Dodgers, would love their starter to give them some length, especially after the Padres bullpen gave up two more runs after Dylan Cease left the game.
Where to watch
The National League postseason will be exclusively broadcast on Fox Sports One (FS1) or Fox all the way up until the World Series.
Dodgers play-by-play broadcast announcer Joe Davis will join Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz on the call, as this series will be broadcast by the primetime Fox baseball crew.
First pitch for game one is set for 5:03 PM PT at Chavez Ravine.
Betting Odds
The Dodgers will look to build on their 1-0 lead in the series when the game begins at 8:03 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. Bookmakers list the Dodgers as -142 favorites on the moneyline, while giving the underdog Padres +120 moneyline odds to win. Los Angeles is a 1.5-run favorite (at +145 odds). The game’s total has been listed at eight runs.
Like yesterday, the Dodgers are the favorite with a 54% win probability compared to the Padres 46%.
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