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The San Diego Padres will attempt to win their third-straight game as they face off with the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Join us for our MLB odds series where our Padres-Diamondbacks prediction and pick will be unveiled for all to see.
After the Padres found themselves losers of three in a row including six of their last seven overall, San Diego has since turned a corner and reeled off back-to-back wins to inch closer to getting back to the .500 mark with a 10-11 record. Getting the starting nod for the Friars will be righty Seth Lugo, who is a perfect 2-0 so far and has posted a healthy 2.70 ERA in his three games started up to this point.
The first-place Diamondbacks lead the second-place Dodgers by only one game after falling to the Padres yesterday by a score of 7-5. Still, Arizona has to be encouraged by the start to the regular season after winning only 74 games a year. On the mound for the Diamondbacks in this one will be Zac Gallen as the righty has accumulated a 2-1 record with a salty 3.33 ERA in his first four starts of the long season.
Here are the Padres-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Padres-Diamondbacks Odds
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+142)
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-172)
Over: 9.5 (-106)
Under: 9.5 (-114)
How To Watch Padres vs. Diamondbacks
TV: Bally Sports Arizona/Bally Sports San Diego
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
Although Fernando Tatis Jr's first game back since 2021 left much to be desired with an 0-5 performance at the plate, the Padres instead got big-time contributions from other games in order to topple the D-Backs on the road.
At first glance, another explosive offensive output will obviously need to be in store at Chase Field. As a whole, San Diego ranks within the bottom ten of all 30 teams in hitting with 80 runs scored, a collective .222 batting average, and only a .307 on-base percentage. While these may be startling, to say the least, it should only be a matter of time before San Diego breaks through at the dish. Alas, bettors planning on wagering upon the Padres should keep in mind that few San Diego hitters are having as lethal of a season than former Red Sox shortstop in Xander Bogaerts. Believe it or not, but Bogaerts leads the team with a red-hot .350 batting average and has hit a total of five home runs including a two-run towering shot that helped the Friars down the D-Backs on Thursday night.
Outside of another stellar outing from the bats, starter Seth Lugo will arguably fighting for a spot in the starting rotation as the return of Joe Musgrove gives the Padres seven starting rotation pieces at the momentum. While a couple of those spots will make the trip down to Triple-A or even the bullpen, the given circumstances makes Lugo's start that much more important. If the Padres end up covering, it will be because of Lugo's urgency on the mound to pitch effectively and to stay in a rhythm all night long.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
Although the Diamondbacks have started off the season strong, there are definitely things that need fixing from last night's game if they want to right their wrongs and get revenge over their division rivals. For starters, Arizona struggled to hit runners home as they stranded eight men on base throughout nine innings played. Yes, the D-Backs did manage to score five times in the loss, but the damage offensively could've been even more lethal if they took advantage of having the base paths full more often than not.
While the offense needs to be at its A game for this NL West battle, the Diamondbacks can take solace in knowing that their top pitcher in Zac Gallen will be in line to keep his 13 2/3 innings scoreless streak intact. After allowing nine runs in his first two starts of the year, Gallen has looked like a bonafide ace by not surrendering a single score in back-to-back outings. Without a doubt, it appears Gallen has found his stride, and it wouldn't be overly surprised if he shuts out the Padres en route to his third-consecutive start without giving up a single run.
Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
There is no question that the stakes are higher between two divisional rivals, and with only a game and a half separating the Padres and Diamondbacks, the intensity will be extremely high. However, at the end of the day, it will end up being Zac Gallen and company that put together too strong of a game for the Padres to overcome. Hammer the snakes to cover the spread and you won't be disappointed!
Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-172)
