The Milwaukee Brewers take on the San Diego Padres. Our MLB odds series has our Brewers Padres prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Brewers Padres.

The National League wild card race is a roller derby scramble, a jumbled mess of mediocrity. The fifth and sixth playoff spots in the N.L. — belonging to the second and third wild card teams — could very realistically have teams under .500 if things don't change in the coming months. The Atlanta Braves are in position to get the first of three National League wild card berths, and they are 10 games over .500, but the other two wild card berths are being pursued by a large number of ordinary ballclubs. The St. Louis Cardinals are at .500 after their win at Rickwood Field in Thursday night's emotional tribute game to Willie Mays and the Negro Leagues in Alabama. The San Francisco Giants are four games under .500 after losing that game to the Cardinals. There are seven teams sandwiched between the Cardinals and Giants in a nine-team collection of bang-on average clubs. The San Diego Padres are one of them. Can the Padres, who have made so many big investments in high-end talent in recent years, somehow find the consistency their fan base is pleading for? This team, which barely inched over the .500 mark late last season after being below .500 for most of the journey, is squandering a golden chance to get back to the postseason. A team which can win 85 games would be in great position to claim a National League wild card spot in 2024, but can the Padres get there? If they don't make a successful push before the All-Star break, they will be under enormous pressure to thread the needle in August and September. The Padres can add to their margin for error if they can play really well the next three weeks before the break.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the few teams in the National League to take charge of its situation in 2024. The Brewers lead the N.L. Central by several games. The great thing about Milwaukee's situatio is that none of the other four teams in the division — the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, or Pittsburgh Pirates — are making a sustained run at the Brew Crew. It's only June, but not one of the four pursuers looks especially threatening. Milwaukee has a chance to put some distance between itself and the pack before the All-Star break.

Here are the Brewers-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Brewers-Padres Odds

Milwaukee Brewers: +1.5 (-178)

San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+146)

Over: 7.5 (-115)

Under: 7.5 (-105)

How To Watch Brewers vs. Padres

TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin (Brewers) / MLB (Padres) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT

*Watch Brewers-Padres LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Brewers Could Cover The Spread

The Brewers are a solid team, and beyond that, they don't generally get sucked into a prolonged period of negative play. The four teams chasing the Brewers in the N.L. Central have all gone through at least one extended rut. The Brewers, when they lose a game or two, usually bounce back and play well. They lost on Thursday in San Diego, so their odds of winning this game are decent. Getting the Brewers off a loss has generally been a good money line play this season. They lost to the Angels on Monday and then won on Tuesday. The same pattern could emerge here.

Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread

The Padres have Dylan Cease on the mound as their starter. He was horrible in his last game in New York against the Mets on Sunday. That might seem like a reason to bet against the Padres, but the point to make is that Cease is highly unlikely to serve up another stinker on the heels of that game. Expect his pitches to have a lot more bite this time.

Final Brewers-Padres Prediction & Pick

The Brewers are the better team, but Dylan Cease will probably pitch well. Therefore, stay away from this game.

Final Brewers-Padres Prediction & Pick: Brewers +1.5