The San Diego Padres open up the second half on the road against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Both teams ended the first half of the season with losses and would certainly like to get back on the winning track down the stretch. These clubs split a four-game set in San Diego back on July 5-8. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Padres-Nationals prediction and pick.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Padres-Nationals odds.
MLB Odds: Padres-Nationals Odds
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San Diego Padres -1.5 (+110)
Washington Nationals +1.5 (-130)
Over 9.5 Runs (-110)
Under 9.5 Runs (-110)
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
The San Diego Padres will look to get back on track as they lost the last two games prior to the All-Star break. The Padres are currently sitting in the second wild card spot as they trail the San Francisco Giants by six games in the NL West division. Despite being 53-40 on the year, San Diego has been far less productive on the road with a 20-21 record. They are 4-12 in their last 16 road games and are in desperate need of more road wins. Their injured list is a novel and they just don't seem to have a lot of life at the moment.
San Diego will open with right-hander Chris Paddack. Paddack has been less than impressive with a 4-6 record and 5.38 ERA through 17 starts. He's definitely been better on the road, but the Padres starter has a 7.12 ERA over his last seven starts to date. He has been wildly inconsistent and allowed eight runs just two starts ago against the Washington Nationals. Don't trust this starter to give San Diego much production on Friday night.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Washington Nationals ended the first half of the season on a high note, losing nine of their last 11 games heading into the All-Star break. Washington was looking to make a similar run to that of the 2019 Washington Nationals just a month ago, but have now begun to decline. They are now fourth in the NL East and six games back of the New York Mets. Offense has been their big issue for most of the season as they average just 4.18 runs per game. They have averaged just 3.63 runs per game at home and still have a winning record thanks to this elite pitching staff. The Nats are watching their season slip away with a 42-47 record heading in.
Washington will turn to Erick Feed for the series opener. Fedde hasn't been very impressive with a 4.59 ERA through 64.2 innings of work. He is two games under .500 and 0-2 in his last two starts with a combined nine runs allowed. The right-hander allowed six earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings against San Diego back on July 6. Erick Fedde has been too inconsistent to trust this season.
Final Padres-Nationals Prediction & Pick
I am going to pick the over in this game. With Kyle Schwarber's return to the lineup, the Nationals will certain gain confidence at the plate. The Nationals slugger had a historic month of June and has anchored this lineup in the leadoff spot. The Padres have put up 4.85 runs per game on the road and should be able to carry this over against Erick Fedde. Chris Paddack got shelled by Washington his last time out, which should give the Nats even more confidence in this game.
FINAL PADRES-NATIONALS PREDICTION AND PICK: Over 9.5 Runs (-110)
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