An experienced MLB analyst has predicted the San Diego Padres to complete a sweep against their division rivals Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, August 24, as the second half of the 2025 MLB season continues to unfold. The forecast comes as part of a comprehensive look at the day's most promising betting opportunities.
"Los Angeles has been an absolute mess since the All-Star break," the analyst noted when explaining the reasoning behind favoring the Padres.
The Dodgers have managed just five hits across two games in the current series, showing significant offensive struggles. Their lineup issues have been compounded by injuries to key players like Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, forcing the team to rely on Triple-A level replacements.
Meanwhile, the Padres appear to have found their rhythm at home after being swept by Los Angeles last weekend. San Diego will send Nick Pivetta to the mound, who boasts an impressive 2.81 ERA and ranks in the top 20% for both strikeout and walk rates this season.
The pitching matchup features Pivetta against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who despite pitching well overall this season has shown vulnerability in his recent road outings. By the way, the analysis also points to San Diego's superior bullpen as another key factor favoring the home team.
In a separate National League contest, the Cincinnati Reds have been picked to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks despite Saturday's lopsided loss at Chase Field. This prediction stems largely from Arizona starting Zac Gallen, who carries a concerning 5.28 ERA and sits in the bottom 25 percentile for barrel rate and hard-hit rate in what has been described as "arguably the worst season of his career."
The Reds previously tagged Gallen for six hits and four runs, including three home runs, in their earlier meeting this season. Cincinnati will counter with Brady Singer, who has won four of his last five starts and demonstrated excellent control by walking one or fewer batters in six of his last eight outings.
Can the Padres actually complete the sweep against their heated rivals? Sunday's matchups will provide the answers in what promises to be another full day of MLB action.
