Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 7/2/26, 11:26 AM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 7/2/26 at 11:27 AM in MLB Picks

Before the All-Star break even arrives, the two-time defending champion Dodgers have the chance to virtually clinch the NL West. In a division that started evenly matched, Los Angeles now holds a 12-game lead over their closest pursuers, the Padres; they have the opportunity to extend that lead even further when they open their series against each other at Dodger Stadium.

In a series where Ohtani, Rojas, Edman, Muncy, and Pages all hit home runs, the Dodgers are coming off a two-game sweep of the Athletics in Sacramento; this victory capped off a nine-game road trip in which they won seven games and gave Dave Roberts his 1,000th career win as a manager.

Meanwhile, the Padres are experiencing the opposite trend. Craig Stammen, the Padres' manager, declared as a consolation that "it only counts as a loss" after the worst blowout they've suffered in years, when they fell 3-23 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field in a disastrous game that marked their fifth straight loss.