The Dodgers will test out their shiny new toys on the other side of the world during Wednesday’s 2024 MLB season opener against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea (6:05 a.m. ET, ESPN).
Tyler Glasnow will make his long-awaited mound debut in Dodger blue, opposite Yu Darvish, who is coming off a disappointing 2023 season in San Diego.
Last season, the Padres finished third in the National League West and two games out of the wild-card spot after establishing the third-highest payroll in baseball.
Los Angeles spent more in the offseason than the other 29 teams combined, spending more than $1 billion on contracts for Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others.
The Dodgers are desperately trying to clear the hurdle after another failure in the postseason.
Dodgers vs. Padres odds
| run line | total | money line |
|---|---|---|
| Dodgers -1.5 (-113) | 9 runs or more (-103) | Dodgers -190 |
| Padres +1.5 (-108) | Less than 9 runs (-120) | Padres +160 |
Glasnow is coming off a great season in Tampa Bay, reaching career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts.
The 30-year-old is starting a five-year contract extension worth more than $136 million as the ace of the Dream Team and has sky-high expectations to live up to.
Darvish is returning from an elbow injury that ended the first season of his long-term contract.
The 37-year-old especially struggled against left-handed bats, posting significantly worse splits than his numbers against right-handed hitters.
The Dodgers’ batting lineup on Wednesday will feature six left-handed hitters, including Ohtani, who hit .327 against right-handed pitchers last year, and Freddie Freeman, who has a career batting average of .286 against Darvish.
This will be the first time that Samurai Japan teammates Otani and Darvish will face off in an MLB regular season game.
The difference between Glasnow’s xERA and Darvish’s 0.73 in 2023 was -0.03, but the real difference was revealed in xFIP. Glasnow outperformed Darvish by more than a full run on this metric.
Both bullpens posted top-10 ERAs, but some question marks remain about how the Padres’ bullpen will support the rotation without Josh Hader and other key names.
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San Diego mainstays Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are gaining attention after seasons with far less contact.
With Machado recovering from elbow surgery, he was locked into the DH role and the Padres’ defense took a turn for the worse.
Considering all aspects, it’s hard to see solid value for the Dodgers this season. It’s going to take some creativity to bet on them this year, but they have enough advantages in many aspects of this matchup to be confident in backing them.
choose: Dodgers run line -1.5 (-113, Bet Rivers)
