Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Francisco Giants are on the road to take on the San Diego Padres for the beginning of a four game series. This game will continue our MLB odds series with a Giants-Padres prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Giants are still very much in the playoff hunt. They are sitting in third place in the NL Wild Card race, but they are up by just half a game. With Septamber just one day away, every game matters going forward. In fact, a loss in this one would put the Giants into a tie for the third wild card spot. San Francisco is just 5-5 in their last 10 games, but thy are coming off a series win against the Cincinnati Reds. To end the season, the Giants play four series against teams over .500, so to emphasize, every game will matter.
The Padres have been extremely disappointing. They came into the season with high hopes, and many people picked them to be World Series favorites. However, that has not panned out, and San Diego is 10 games under .500, and they have lost seven of their last 10. With 30 games remaining, there is a miniscule chance they make the playoffs with a huge run, but it is highly unlikely. The killer for San Diego is they are just 6-22 in one-run games. San Diego is also 0-11 in extra innings this season. They have had some bad luck, and they have not been able to win the close games, so their expected record is actually 73-61. Despite all that, the Padres are on the outside looking in, and it looks like their season will end come October 1.
The Giants are undecided about their starting pitcher for this game. The Padres will hand the ball to Pedro Avila.
Here are the Giants-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Padres Odds
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-188)
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+155)
Over: 8.5 (-122)
Under: 8.5 (+100)
How To Watch Giants vs. Padres
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, Bally Sports San Diego
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 9:40 PM ET/6:40 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The Giants are undecided about their starting pitcher, but that is not such a bad thing. The often use an opener to lead into one of their stretched out arms. My guess would be Alex Wood, Sean Manaea, or Jakob Junis. If any of those pitchers start, the Giants could be in good shape. Junis is having a pretty good season, given his role on the team. His July and August were outstanding, so I would not be surprised to see him start the game and go two or three innings. Manaea and Wood are both left-handed arms, so one of them could definitely see the mound in this game. The Padres hit lefties pretty well, but both those pitchers do a decent job keeping runner off base. Whoever the Giants pitch, they should not have much problem against the struggling Padres.
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
Avila has made eight appearances, but just two starts. However, he has been stretched out of the bullpen, so his arm is conditioned to go deeper into the game. This will be his seventh appearance in August, and all but one have been good. Take out his 4 2/3 innings of five-hit, five-run baseball, and Avila is having a dominant August. Despite that, he still has a K/9 over 9.0, a 3.22 ERA, and a lower oBA. If Avila can lock in as a starter, and hold the Giants to just three or four runs, the Padres will cover the spread.
Final Giants-Padres Prediction & Pick
This should be a close game between division rivals. However, it is always tough to predict when a team does not name a starter. With that said, my gut is still telling me to take the Giants. As underdogs, the Giants should be able to keep this game within a run, and maybe even win. I will take the Giants to cover the spread in this one.
Final Giants-Padres Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5 (-188), Under 8.5 (+100)
