Follow Us
In this premier National League showdown, the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers meet up for game two on the diamond after the Padres were able to get the job done in a 7-0 shutout victory yesterday. Join us in our MLB odds series, where our Padres-Brewers prediction and pick will be revealed.
The Padres were able to snap a four-game losing streak in the most dominant way possible, as San Diego compiled 13 hits while starter Joe Musgrove carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The win puts San Diego ten games above .500 at 31-21, and will send out lefty MacKenzie Gore to try to secure the victory in game two.
On the bump for the Brew Crew will be fellow southpaw Aaron Ashby, as even with his shaky 1-3 record, he has thrown his way to a sparkling 2.70 ERA.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Padres-Brewers MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Padres-Brewers Odds
San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-194)
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+160)
Over: 7.5 (+100)
Under: 7.5 (-122)
*Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why The Padres Could Cover the Spread
After a victory that came in dominating fashion on Friday, whose to say that the Padres can’t have a repeat of their dazzling performance? No question, it had been tough sledding for San Diego prior to their 7-0 win, as San Diego matched a season-high in consecutive losses before finally getting in the win column on Friday.
If the Padres are going to cover the spread on Saturday, it may as well be be because of their success at the plate against left-handed pitching. In 18 matchups versus southpaws, the Padres are 13-5 on the season.
While their overall statistics don’t jump off the screen with only a .234 batting average and are currently tied for fifteenth in the league with 218 runs scored, third-baseman Manny Machado has instilled a sense of fear to opposing pitching throughout the league. After belting a three-run homer in the victory for the Padres yesterday, Machado is now slashing an absurd .344 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs.
Certainly, the offense may be a big part in covering the spread this afternoon, the Friars’ greatest ability stems from the mound. With the sixth-best ERA in all of baseball at a 3.41 mark, San Diego sure knows how to baffle hitters when stepping out on the rubber. Not to mention, the Padres are also only allowing teams to hit .216 off of them while also leading the major leagues with 30 quality starts.
Why The Brewers Could Cover the Spread
As for the Brewers, it was a tough loss against one of the best pitchers in the game in Musgrove. While they can chalk it up as an off game, Milwaukee should bring an added sense of urgency ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup as they seek a much-needed win in game two.
In sports, especially in America’s National Pastime, the rough occasional game is viewed as something that requires a short memory in order to move on and return to victory. With more than 100 games still to be played the rest of the way, the Brewers must avoid getting complacent if they want to defend their division title from last year.
Milwaukee can no doubt cover the spread against the Padres on Saturday, but they will need to record more than one hit in order to do so. In fact, the Brewers have actually scored more runs than San Diego despite being silent yesterday, as they have scored the eighth-most runs in the league with 243. This unit appears to be streaky, as they can put up runs in a hurry but can also quickly get into funks offensively. This proved to be the case in their opening matchup versus San Diego when they rallied for four runs in the ninth inning in a 5-4 victory.
Combined with their sometimes timely hitting, the Brewers do most of their damage by excelling on the mound, which is a similar trait to what the Padres possess. Barely edging out the Friars with a 3.40 ERA, the Brewers can twirl it up on the bump as good as any of them.
Final Padres-Brewers Prediction & Pick
In a matchup between two squads with evenly skilled offenses, this one will come down to the pitching duel between Gore and Ashby. While Milwaukee happens to be 4-1 whenever Ashby gets the start, Gore has also been pitching to near perfection, as the 23-year-old out of North Carolina has only surrendered a single run in his previous 16 frames tossed. This doesn’t bode well for the Brewers after their struggles at the plate on Friday and don’t be surprised if Gore has one of his best outings of the campaign during this opening weekend in the month of June.
Final Padres-Brewers Prediction & Pick: Padres +1.5 (-194)