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The San Diego Padres aim to stay undefeated as they host the Cleveland Guardians for the series finale. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Guardians-Padres prediction and pick.
The Guardians and Padres will play Game 2 on Tuesday night, with Logan Allen taking on Michael King.
Guardians-Padres Projected Starters
Ben Lively vs. Dylan Cease
Name (0-0) with a 5.40 ERA, 0.80 WHIP in 5.0 innings.
Last Start: 5.40 ERA, 0.80 WHIP in 5.0 innings in the 7-4 win over the Kansas City Royals
Name (0-0) with a 6.23 ERA, 7 K's, 1.38 WHIP in 4.1 innings.
Last Start: 6.23 ERA, 7 K's, 1.38 WHIP in 4.1 innings in the 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Guardians-Padres Odds
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-134)
Moneyline: +154
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+114)
Moneyline: -184
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
How to Watch Guardians vs. Padres
Time: 4:10 pm ET/1:10 pm PT
TV: Padres.TV, CLEGuardians.TV
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win
Ben Lively is on the mound for the Guardians. The 33-year-old right-hander has never really had a great season as a big leaguer but he is coming off his best season since 2017. Last year, he posted career highs in starts (29), ERA (3.81), innings (151), strikeouts (118), wins (13), WAR (1.5), and WHIP (1.25). Cleveland is hoping he can give them five innings. The Padres' offense has been hot to begin the campaign.
Jose Ramirez homered in the opening game with a solo shot. The Guardians scored just one run the rest of the game to lose 7-2. They desperately need Lane Thomas and Brayan Rocchio to get going. Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, and Gabriel Arias are all hitting .300 or better. Those four have shown up to begin the season. Jhonkensy “Big Christmas” Noel has just one hit on the season in two games. If he starts, he could be a threat to hit his first long ball of the season in a day game. He went 0-4 in the series opener.
The key for the Guardians is to be patient at the plate against Cease. Cease will rack up K's, but he can be wild at times. Cleveland has the plate discipline to get him out of there early, just as the Braves did.
Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win
The 29-year-old former White Sox will toe the slab for the Padres. In his first season in San Diego, he threw the franchise's second no-hitter against the Washington Nationals. He had a very good season but was not his normal self in the postseason. Fast forward to now, he is dealing with a lot of distractions. The Padres were rumored to trade him as an extension is unlikely, knowing that Michael King is the likely candidate. SD can't keep both with how valuable they will be on the market. Against the Braves, he K'd up seven hitters but couldn't remain in the game past the fifth inning due to his 93 pitches.
The offense has been hot to begin. They are undefeated because of the fact that they are scoring almost five runs per game. Fernando Tatis Jr. is on fire and is the spark to the offense. As a leadoff hitter, Tatis owns the best slugging percentage of all time in that spot at .602. Over guys like Mike Trout, Alfonso Soriano, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuna Jr.
So far this season, Tatis has one homer, three RBIs, and nine total hits, with at least one in each game. He has also scored five runs and stolen three bases. He is currently third on FanDuel in NL MVP odds.
Luis Arraez is struggling to begin the season and the Friars need him to pick it up. Once he does, the offense should play even better. The back-to-back-to-back batting champ has just one hit this year.
Final Guardians-Padres Prediction & Pick
The Padres have a clear pitching advantage and should take the series finale at home. Padres moneyline is the play.
Final Guardians-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres ML (-184)
