Dodgers vs. Padres Prediction + Player Props: Seoul Series 2024, 3/21
The 2024 MLB season continues Thursday morning at 6am ET with the second game of the Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Betting this series, as you may have seen from Seoul Series Game 1, can be a risky proposition as players are still finding their way into early-season form.
We hit on my Dodgers vs. Padres prediction with the run line but came up short on the game total and our player props. It happens and, as I said on the Fantasy Alarm show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, this isn’t a series to bet heavily. There will be plenty of time to invest and build your bankroll, so there’s no reason to come out of the gate with guns blazing.
That being said, let’s get to my Dodgers vs. Padres prediction for Game 2!
**All Dodgers vs. Padres odds & lines are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.
Dodgers vs. Padres Prediction, Picks & Odds: Thursday, 3/21
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres Same Game Parlay
The second game of the Seoul Series features one of the hottest free agents from this offseason – the $325M man, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Over his last four years in Japan, the 25-year-old went 66-22 with a 1.37 ERA and 756 strikeouts over 721.2 innings. Impressive is probably an understatement.
He didn’t pitch a lot this spring and the Padres haven’t really seen his stuff, so there’s a certain advantage here for sure. Not that the Padres whiffed a ton against Tyler Glasnow, but after the loss, they could be a little more aggressive in the box.
Musgrove struggled this spring, but we’re not going to overrate it too much. However, it is worth noting that Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy each have at least 19 at-bats against him and are all hitting over .300 against him. As a team, the Dodgers posted the second-best wOBA (.343) against righties last season and after watching their lineup find it’s groove as Game 1 progressed, I expect that trend to continue.
I think the Dodgers win this one, again, but am going to bank on the Padres keeping it close. Yamamoto’s debut should be successful, but the Dodgers bullpen might struggle after using a few arms yesterday and dealing with injuries to their usual staff.
I also think the Padres, who used up a lot of their pen, will let Musgrove go deeper into the game and also use starter Michael King for a few innings in relief. You could go with the Padres run line, but even that has some juice on it, so let’s have some fun with a Same Game Parlay here.
Pick: Dodgers vs. Padres Same Game Parlay (+550 at BetMGM)
- Dodgers Moneyline
- Padres +1.5 Run Line
- Freddie Freeman to Record a Hit
Bet on my expert Dodgers vs. Padres prediction at BetMGM Sportsbook today!
MLB Player Props: Dodgers vs. Padres 2024 Seoul Series
If you don’t like my Dodgers vs. Padres Same Game Parlay, check out some of the MLB player props I’m betting:
- Freddie Freeman Over 1.5 Total Bases (-110)
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-110)
- Dodgers Team Total Over 4.5 (-125)
Dodgers vs. Padres Player Stats From MLB Opening Day, 3/20
In their 5-2 Game 1 victory, the Dodgers got solid contributions from a number of players in their lineup. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani each notched 2 hits and an RBI a piece, while Teoscar Hernandez managed to score 2 runs. From a pitching standpoint, Tyler Glasnow was just as advertised, throwing 5 innings of 2-hit, 2-run ball. The LA bullpen then provided 4 shutout innings in relief.
On the Padres side of things, starter Yu Darvish exited after just 3.2 IP. He didn't surrender any runs but did allow a couple of hits and walks. Relievers Wandy Peralta and Jhony Brito combined for 1.1 IP, 3 BB and 3 ER. Offensively, San Diego was limited to just 4 total hits, with 2 of those coming off the bat of Xander Bogaerts. We'll see if SD can turn the tide in Thursday's matchup, or if Los Angeles will open the season with an undefeated 2-0 record.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.