MLB NLDS Game 5: Predictions & Best Bets for Padres vs Dodgers | Pickswise

It’s a big night on the diamond as the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers play Game 5 of the NLDS tonight. The setting is back to Los Angeles after the last 2 Games were in San Diego, so it wasn’t surprising to see the Dodgers listed as the home favorite. But I’m not sold on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers just yet. As such, I have found the best way to back the Padres in this critical Game 5. Let’s get into my Padres vs Dodgers best bet for NLDS Game 5, while you can also find out our MLB picks for this Game and every matchup in the postseason.

Check out JutPicks’ 2 best Padres vs Dodgers player prop bets for tonight’s Game 5

San Diego Padres First 5 Innings +0.5 over Los Angeles Dodgers (-132)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing

All good things must come to an end, including this series. This 5-game set between the Padres and Dodgers has had a little bit of everything: home runs, comebacks and drama. However, the series will come to an end on Friday night as the setting for the series will shift back to Los Angeles. The probable pitchers are Yu Darvish for the Padres and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, who will both be making their second start of the NLDS. Darvish looked fantastic in Game 2, as he went 7.0 innings and allowed just 1 run and 3 hits. It was a no-brainer to start Darvish in this decisive Game 5 since he is San Diego’s most rested starter and because of his success against L.A. in 2024.

But he is not the only reason for backing the Padres in this spot. The San Diego offense has been on fire in this series (with Game 4 being an exception) and has hit every Dodger starter hard — including Yamamoto. The Padres tagged the Japanese sensation for 5 hits, 5 runs and 2 walks in just 3.0 innings in Game 1. Getting to the Dodgers’ starters early has been a key to San Diego’s success in this series; they have scored 14 of their 21 runs in the first 5 innings. That’s an important reason for me backing this first 5 innings bet since the Padres can be tied or winning for this bet to win.

I’m also putting half a unit on the Padres first 5 innings money line (+110), which would cash if San Diego is up after 5 innings and push if the Game is tied after the 5th.

Read our full San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers prediction