SPORTS

Who Will Take the Crown? Padres vs. Dodgers in NLDS Game 5

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, USASat Oct 12 2024
Tonight's NL Division Series Game 5 between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers is set to be an epic finish. The Dodgers are the favored team, with a solid home record of 53-30 wins out of 83 games this season. Experts at Dimers, a sports handicapping site, ran 10,000 simulations of the game. The result? The Dodgers have a 58% chance of winning, while the Padres stand at 42%. Betting odds reflect this, with the Dodgers at -140 and the Padres as +120 underdogs. But the Padres are no pushovers when on the road. They've won 58. 3% of their road games as underdogs this year. The pitching matchup is really interesting in this game. Yu Darvish will start for the Padres, coming off a great Game 2 where he let up just one run in seven innings. Darvish has been consistent in recent playoff games, with an ERA of 2. 56 in his last six appearances. The Dodgers, on the other hand, will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. He's faced the Padres three times before, but his performance hasn't been stellar. In his first MLB start in Korea, he allowed five runs in just one inning. His second start saw him give up three earned runs in five innings. In Game 1 of the NLDS, he struggled again, giving up five earned runs and hits, but the team still pulled off a 7-5 win. First pitch is at 5:08 p. m. Pacific Time at Dodger Stadium.

questions

    Could there be hidden statistics that suggest the Padres' road victories are due to some mysterious advantage?
    What impact do pitching matchups typically have on the outcome of baseball games, and how does this game compare to historical trends?
    Are there any overlooked factors that could significantly impact the final result, and what are they?

actions