The Philadelphia Phillies host the San Diego Padres for Game 2 of this 3-game series! It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Padres-Phillies prediction and pick.
Despite the many injuries this team is dealing with, the Padres are finding ways to win games. San Diego is (23-13) on the season and second in the very competitive NL West Division. The division is so tough that the 5th place Colorado Rockies were over .500 a week ago, but now sit at (17-19). The Padres are one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants are right behind the Friars at a game behind.
The Philadelphia Phillies are starting to find their success. After winning three in a row and taking the series to the Dodgers, the Phillies have lost two-straight games but are (6-4) in their last 10. They are (17-19) and six games behind the New York Mets for the NL East Divison lead. This matchup today will feature some elite pitching. Let's get right to the prediction.
Here are the Padres-Phillies MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Padres-Phillies Odds
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-172)
Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+142)
Over: 7.5 (-110)
Under: 7.5 (-110)
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Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
The starter for the Padres today should be Blake Snell, who is scheduled to make his 2022 debut. The team hasn't officially announced his return but he's been with the team and today would be his spot in the rotation as the No. 5 starter. Snell is known for posting to social media on the day of his start, captioning “Bumpday,” and he posted that Wednesday morning. The southpaw was successful during his rehab assignments and should be ready to go for the Padres.
The Friars lead the league in quality starts with 19. The Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays are second with 16, so that shows how elite the rotation has been. Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Sean Manaea, Mike Clevinger, and rookie MacKenzie Gore have all been brilliant this season and with Snell returning, we should see this rotation get even better. There will likely be changes within the rotation as there are too many players for the 5-man rotation. Gore and Nick Martinez could hold down the bullpen for a little or Gore could be sent down to Triple-A.
Offensively for the Padres, they have been led by stars Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer. Machado leads the NL in some very important categories like OPS (1.014), batting average (.356), WAR (2.8), Hits (47), and OBP (.438). His play has elevated the Friars' lineup and the team is certainly benefiting from his play. Furthermore, His defensive ability at third base is saving runs for the Padres' pitching.
San Diego can cover this spread if Snell finds his groove and the Padres can get to Zack Wheeler. The Padres are (20-16) against the spread this season.
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Zack Wheeler gets the call today after coming off a decent start against the Dodgers. He allowed three runs but struck out seven in 5.1 innings. In the two starts prior, he did now allow a run in 13.2 combined innings against the Colorado Rockies followed by the Texas Rangers. He struck out seven hitters in all three of those games. On the season, the ace is underperforming with a 4.26 ERA but pitches far better at home with a 1.93 ERA.
Superstar Bryce Harper did not play in Game 1 of the series yesterday and the team certainly struggled because of it. The Phillies finished with five hits but had just two through seven innings. Harper leads the team in just about every offensive category besides average in favor of Alec Bohm (.313). The lineup will need Bohm, Rhys Hoskins, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos to create the offense for them once again today as Harper remains out after receiving a plasma injection in his elbow. It's unlikely he plays today but could return for the series finale tomorrow.
The Phillies are will need to attack Snell early and force the Padres' struggling bullpen to enter the game earlier than expected. If that happens the Phillies have a shot at winning this game. They are (18-18) ATS this season.
Final Padres-Phillies Prediction & Pick
Snell likely won't put on his best performance as he is set to make his debut. I expect the Phillies to get to him early and cover this spread.
Final Padres-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+142)
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