San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Picks and Prediction for Thursday, September 24, 2026

On Thursday, the San Diego Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, with the opening pitch scheduled for 10:10 PM ET and televised on MLB.TV and MLB Network. San Diego is 87-70, 38-41 away and second in the NL West, 10 games behind Los Angeles. The Padres are tied with Chicago and Philadelphia atop the NL wild-card standings after Tuesday’s 7-0 loss to the Dodgers. Los Angeles is 97-60, 51-28 at home and first in the NL West. The Dodgers have won five straight, including Tuesday’s series-opening shutout. This is the final regular-season series for both teams. Let’s break down the matchup with our free MLB picks.

San Diego Padres Trying to Respond After a Shutout Loss

San Diego had won four straight before Tuesday’s 7-0 loss at Dodger Stadium, giving the Padres a 4-1 record across their last five results. Fernando Tatis Jr. is batting .285 with a .354 on-base percentage and .466 slugging percentage, along with 25 home runs, 81 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Jackson Merrill has 26 home runs and a team-high 86 RBI, while Manny Machado leads San Diego with 28 homers. Ty France is batting .299 with a .365 on-base percentage and .515 slugging percentage while adding 21 home runs and 70 RBI.

The Padres rank 17th in MLB with a .243 batting average and have scored 690 runs with 179 home runs, a .318 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage. San Diego’s pitching staff ranks 10th with a 3.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and .241 opponent batting average across 1,391.1 innings. The staff has recorded 1,275 strikeouts and allowed 176 home runs. San Diego is tied for second in fielding with 63 errors and a .989 fielding percentage.

Injuries: Gavin Sheets (out), Jeremiah Estrada (out), Jason Adam (out), Miguel Andujar (out), Joe Musgrove (out).

Los Angeles Dodgers Riding a Five-Game Winning Streak

Los Angeles has won five consecutive games, outscoring San Francisco and San Diego 36-9 across those results. Shohei Ohtani is batting .277 with a .380 on-base percentage and .522 slugging percentage while leading the Dodgers with 30 home runs and 80 RBI. Freddie Freeman owns a .293 average, .368 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage with 16 homers and 70 RBI. Max Muncy has 29 home runs and 76 RBI, while Mookie Betts has recorded 22 homers and 68 RBI.

The Dodgers rank third in MLB with a .257 batting average and have scored 787 runs with 199 home runs, a .339 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage. Los Angeles also ranks fourth in pitching with a 3.59 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .219 opponent batting average. Dodgers pitchers have registered 1,460 strikeouts in 1,389.2 innings while allowing 171 home runs. Los Angeles is tied for second in fielding with 63 errors and a .989 fielding percentage and owns a 51-28 home record.

Injuries: Dalton Rushing (out), Gavin Stone (out), Jake Cousins (out), Ben Casparius (out), Brusdar Graterol (out).

Pitching Matchup

San Diego Padres - Nick Pivetta

Nick Pivetta is 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 30 innings. He has allowed 23 hits and two home runs while recording 35 strikeouts and seven walks.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Tyler Glasnow

Tyler Glasnow is 5-1 with a 3.46 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 67.2 innings. He has allowed 42 hits and seven home runs while recording 87 strikeouts and 23 walks.

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Game Pick

• Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles is the pick after winning five straight and allowing only nine runs during that stretch. The Dodgers also have a 51-28 record at Dodger Stadium and hold clear season advantages in batting average, runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Glasnow has posted a 0.96 WHIP with 87 strikeouts across 67.2 innings, while Los Angeles owns a 3.59 team ERA and .219 opponent average. San Diego has played well recently, but Tuesday’s 7-0 result showed the difficulty of this matchup in Los Angeles.

San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Over/Under Pick

• Under

Under is the pick with Pivetta and Glasnow carrying strong WHIP numbers into the matchup. Pivetta has allowed 23 hits in 30 innings with a 1.00 WHIP, while Glasnow has surrendered 42 hits across 67.2 innings with a 0.96 WHIP. San Diego also owns a 3.96 team ERA, and Los Angeles sits at 3.59. The Padres were held scoreless Tuesday, while the Dodgers have allowed nine total runs across their five-game winning streak, creating another matchup where pitching will limit scoring.