The Los Angeles Dodgers must be feeling the heat from the smoking hot San Diego Padres who sit just 2.5 games back of them for the NL West lead. The Pads will have a chance to gain some ground on their archrivals when they open a 3-game set tonight at Petco Park. San Diego is coming off a sweep of a very good San Francisco team and have now won 7 straight. The Friars boast a home record of 18-6 and will have their best flamethrower on the hill tonight, Dinelson Lamet. Lamet is 2-1 with a 2.24 ERA, a WHIP of just 0.92, and was spectacular in his last outing against the Rockies, pitching 7-2/3 innings of scoreless ball in a 1-0 Padres win. The Dodgers are coming off a split with the Astros and the starter for tonight’s game is still up in the air but it will probably be Clayton Kershaw or Julio Urías. LA is a force and that is a given. They have won 7 of their last 8 trips to Petco Park but these are not the same old Padres. The Friars are hot. Ride them ’til they’re not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO PADRES