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A fierce NL West battle with major implications on the line will take place on this Friday as the San Francisco Giants head south to battle it out with the San Diego Padres. Let's check out our MLB odds series where our Giants-Padres prediction and pick will be revealed.
Currently six games above the .500 mark with an overall record at 70-64, the Giants are certainly no shoo-in to clinch a postseason berth, but they do happen to hold a one-game lead for the final Wild Card spot over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Surely, every game for the Giants matters from here on out. With wins in four of their last five contests, San Francisco will call upon RHP Tristan Beck to keep the ball rolling and replicate the success they had on Thursday which resulted in a 7-2 victory over the Padres. With only one start under his belt as a reliever, Beck possesses a steady 3.52 ERA as San Francisco will leave it up to the bullpen to kick off the weekend on a positive note.
Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres have fallen flat on their faces in 2023 and will be needing a miracle to make a push at the playoff race. As it stands, San Diego trails the Wild Card race by 8.5 games with 27 games to go. Truly, all the Padres can do at this time is take it game by game, and that all starts with right-handed twirler Michael Wacha who has undergone a fabulous 10-2 record and dazzling 2.84 ERA. Do the Padres have what it takes to treat the home fans of San Diego to a much-needed win?
Here are the Giants-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Giants-Padres Odds
San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-184)
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 8 (-114)
Under: 8 (-106)
How To Watch Giants vs. Padres
TV: NBC Sports Wisconsin
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, the main thing that makes this Giants squad so lethal is the fact that they can win ballgames in so many different ways. A night ago, San Francisco relied heavily on their bullpen which they will do once again later this evening, as manager Gabe Kepler has the utmost confidence in his pitching arms.
Not only have the Giants pitched their way to a collective team-ERA of 3.93 which is the eighth-best mark in the majors, but even the bats gone in on the fun en route to a ten-hit night resulting in seven runs coming across the scoreboard. In fact, the key in this matchup for the Giants will once again be whether or not they can create chaos on the base paths like they did on Thursday. On paper, San Fran went 4-10 with RISP and only stranded seven men on base all night long.
All in all, the most important aspect the Giants need to take control of in order to cover the spread will be getting ahead in the counts to a Padres lineup that still boasts a ton of talent. If San Francisco's pitchers don't consistently throw strikes, it will mess up their rhythm and give San Diego life at the plate.
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
For obvious reasons, the Padres have clearly not lived up to the lofty expectations that they set forth for themselves during Spring Training, but keep in mind that this is a ball club with plenty of deadly hitters and even pitchers who could get the job done on this Friday night.
To begin, you have to give the ‘Friars credit in playing the Giants tough all year long up to this point, as the regular season series between these two division California rivals currently sits at 4-3 with the slight edge going to the San Francisco. Believe it or not, there is still a chance that San Diego can win this regular season series especially if they can bounce back in a big way from getting blown out on Thursday. Above all else, the Padres have to make it a priority to pitch more efficiently if they want to snap a three-game losing skid.
It all starts with the opening frames of this one, and if San Diego can string together a handful of scoreless innings from the mound, they will have all of the confidence in the world to go for the kill and shut the door on San Francisco's chances late. At a glance, the Padres' strength as a team does fall on the arms of their pitching staff, even though they have struggled mightily in the last three games played. Regardless, be on the lookout for the three-headed monster in Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. to make a clutch play at the dish if the ‘Friars are going to improve upon their 65-70 record against the spread.
Final Giants-Padres Prediction & Pick
While both sides are more than desperate to get this matchup into the win column, the safe bet here is to simply side with the better team. Hammer the Giants to outmatch the Padres in all facets of the game when it is all said and done.
Final Giants-Padres Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5 (-184)
