Dodgers vs. Padres prediction, odds, time: 2026 MLB picks for Sunday Night Baseball from advanced model

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- Los Angeles Dodgers (59-31) host the San Diego Padres (43-45) at Dodger Stadium at 7:20 p.m. ET on Sunday Night Baseball, looking to complete a four-game sweep after winning the first three meetings of the series.
- San Diego Padres enter on an eight-game losing streak, sitting 15 games back in the NL West and 5 games out of the last NL Wild Card spot.
- Emmet Sheehan (4-5, 5.08 ERA) starts for Los Angeles against JP Sears (1-1, 6.97 ERA), with the Dodgers installed as -220 favorites and the over/under set at 9.5.
- SportsLine's Projection Model simulated the matchup 10,000 times and projected 9.4 combined runs, locking in Under 9.5 total runs as its top pick.
- Both clubs' bullpens rank in the top six in ERA in the National League, and each of the Dodgers' last three series finales have gone under, averaging just 7 combined runs.
- SportsLine entered Week 15 on a 25-14 run on top-rated MLB picks and returned nearly 30 units of profit on home run prop picks in 2025.
Why it matters: With the Dodgers a steep -220 favorite and San Diego mired in an eight-game skid, the moneyline offers limited value — the actionable angle is the total, where both NL top-six bullpens and a Dodgers series-finale Under trend (last three averaging 7 runs) back the model's Under 9.5 call.


