The San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics will begin a two-game series on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Padres-Athletics prediction and pick.

These two games are hugely important for both teams. The Padres are currently trailing first place in the NL West by seven games with that deficit rapidly growing, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is hurting. They need to start playing with some urgency if they want to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, the two teams that hold first and second place in the NL West. The Athletics are second in the AL West, but they're unlucky enough to have the Houston Astros in their division. Oakland has cut the deficit to 4.5 games, so they're certainly within striking distance. Both of these teams need wins, so this game should be a good one.

Here's how the bookmakers have set the lines for Tuesday night's game.

MLB Odds: Padres-Athletics Odds

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

San Diego Padres ML (+135)

Oakland Athletics ML (-160)

Over 8 runs (-115)

Under 8 runs (-105)

Why The Padres Could Win

The Padres are one of the most talented teams in baseball. They boast a lineup that ranks inside the top 10 in the league in batting average and OBP. San Diego is also a notoriously patient team, drawing the third-most walks in all of baseball. They present a problem to every single opposing pitcher, including Athletics starter Sean Manaea.

Manaea has been good throughout this season, pitching to the tune of a 3.01 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Those are both strong numbers, but they get worse whenever Manaea pitches at home. His ERA rises up to 3.34 at home, with his WHIP also jumping 1.25. His opponent's batting average is a mere .198 whenever Manaea pitches on the road, but that skyrockets to .268 whenever Manaea plays in the Oakland Coliseum.

The Padres will send lefty Blake Snell to the mound for this series opener. Snell hasn't lived up to expectations this season, posting a 5.44 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. Fortunately for him, the Athletics struggle offensively when they play at home. They see all of their major offensive stats fall whenever they play in the Bay Area.

Why The Athletics Could Win

The A's may struggle to swing the bat at home, but Snell really struggles to pitch well on the road. His poor ERA skyrockets to 8.02 on the road, with his WHIP also flying up to 2.02. Oakland should be able to capitalize on that and score some early runs off the lefty.

Snell has already faced the Athletics once this season, and it didn't end well. Oakland tagged him for seven runs in four innings, knocking him out of the game in the process. It helps that the Athletics are slightly better against left-handed pitching than they are against righties, earning a higher batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage whenever they face a lefty. This is the perfect opportunity for Oakland's lineup to break their recent cold streak and put up a ton of runs.

Unfortunately for the Padres, this game isn't exactly an offensive opportunity for them. Manaea has already faced the Padres once this season, and he pitched a gem. The lefty pitched six scoreless innings and earned a win in the process. San Diego just lost Tatis to the IL, so their offense should be far less potent than usual. The Padres are also poor against lefties, sporting a lower batting average, OBP, and OPS against left-handed pitching. The scene is set for Manaea to pitch another good game against San Diego.

Final Padres-Athletics Prediction & Pick

It may be a surprise to see the Athletics favored here, but the bookmakers got that one right. Oakland should take this game easily. They've already proven they can hit Snell, and with his abysmal road stats, it would be a shock to see Snell in the game past the fifth inning. Manaea has been fantastic lately, and that should continue against a team missing their best offensive player in Tatis. Lock in the Athletics.

FINAL PICK: Oakland Athletics ML (-160)