Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Picks and Prediction for Friday June 26 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Petco Park to take on the San Diego Padres on Friday, June 26, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 9:45 PM ET in San Diego, California, and the game will be televised on Apple TV. Los Angeles enters with a 52-29 overall record and a 26-15 record on the road, while San Diego comes into the matchup at 42-37 overall and 22-19 at home. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.

Starting Pitchers Open the Series

Roki Sasaki is expected to start for Los Angeles after posting a 3-4 record with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP across 68.0 innings. He has allowed 63 hits, struck out 70 batters, walked 25, and surrendered 13 home runs. San Diego will counter with Walker Buehler, who enters with a 4-3 record, a 3.96 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, 72.2 innings pitched, 73 hits allowed, 65 strikeouts, 23 walks, and five home runs allowed. Buehler owns the lower ERA and has allowed significantly fewer home runs, while Sasaki has the slightly lower WHIP and more strikeouts.

Los Angeles Continues to Produce Results

The Dodgers enter Friday's contest with a 52-29 overall record and a 26-15 mark away from home. Los Angeles has recently defeated Minnesota by scores of 4-3, 12-3, and 2-1 after previously dropping two games to Baltimore by scores of 12-1 and 3-2. The Dodgers have won three straight games and have gone 3-2 over their last five contests.

Los Angeles is batting .262 with 423 runs, 712 hits, 109 home runs, a .345 on-base percentage, and a .438 slugging percentage. The pitching staff owns a 3.40 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, 228 walks, 717 strikeouts, and a .212 opponent batting average. The Dodgers are also 39-21 in night games.

The Dodgers have been the more complete team throughout the season. They lead San Diego in batting average, runs scored, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average. Those advantages have translated into one of the strongest records among the teams provided.

San Diego Looks to Defend Home Field

The Padres come into this matchup with a 42-37 overall record and a 22-19 record at Petco Park. San Diego has recently won over Atlanta by scores of 5-2, 7-6 in 10 innings, and 1-0 after splitting two games with Texas, losing 4-3 after winning 6-4 in 10 innings. The Padres have won four of their last five games and enter this matchup with momentum of their own.

San Diego is batting .220 with 309 runs, 567 hits, 81 home runs, a .294 on-base percentage, and a .364 slugging percentage. The pitching staff owns a 3.85 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, 274 walks, 657 strikeouts, and a .241 opponent batting average. The Padres are also 23-24 in night games.

San Diego's strength has been its pitching staff, which owns a solid 3.85 ERA and has helped the club string together four wins in its last five games. However, the offense has generated fewer runs, hits, and home runs than Los Angeles while carrying lower batting, on-base, and slugging percentages.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Picks and Prediction

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Pick

• Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers Moneyline

The Dodgers are my pick because they own the better overall record, stronger road record, and the matchup predictor favors them with a 54.1 percent chance to win compared to 45.9 percent for San Diego. Los Angeles also holds statistical advantages in nearly every major offensive and pitching category while entering the game on a three-game winning streak.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Total Pick

• Pick: Take the under if the total is set at 8.5.

I would lean toward the under if the total is set at 8.5 because both teams feature pitching staffs with ERAs below 4.00, and San Diego has won games recently by scores of 5-2 and 1-0. Los Angeles also owns a team ERA of 3.40 and an opponent batting average of just .212. Based strictly on the information provided, I expect pitching to keep the scoring under control.

Final Score Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers 5 – San Diego Padres 3

This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Thursday.