The first-place San Diego Padres travel to Progressive Field to take on the Cleveland Guardians at 6:10 PM ET. It is time to check out our MLB odds series, where our Padres-Guardians pick and prediction will be revealed.

 

San Diego is coming off a weekend series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and has won five of their last six games played. On the mound for the Friars will be a familiar face, as former Cleveland ace, Mike Clevinger will face his old squad for the first time on Tuesday evening. Clevinger will be making his first start of the season, as he is 44-23 with a 3.19 ERA lifetime in his career.

On the hill for the Guardians looking to extend their winning streak will be RHP Zach Plesac, who is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in his four starts on the season.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Padres-Guardians MLB odds.

MLB Odds: Padres-Guardians Odds

San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+126)

Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-152)

Over: 8 (-112)

Under: 8 (-108)

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Why The Padres Could Cover the Spread

Emotions will certainly be running high in this one, as Mr. Clevinger, the once proud Cleveland Indian, has traded in his “Believeland” colors and headed west to the golden coast to don a San Diego Padres jersey.

During his time in Cleveland, Clevinger was a main staple among the pitching staff, as he racked up 41 wins and struck out nearly 500 batters on his way to an illustrious five seasons there. Making not only his first start against his former squad but also since Oct. 6th, 2020 in a playoff appearance versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clevinger is surely eager to get back on the mound.

Clevinger will be facing a franchise that looks slightly different than from when he was a member, as while the franchise still resides in Cleveland, the Indians are obviously no longer, as the Guardians nickname has taken its place. In 2022, Cleveland boasts a lineup that can do some damage when given the opportunity, but are also streaky at times and can be often unpredictable.

When it comes to the Padres lineup at the plate, San Diego has impressed through their 23 games played thus far. With 109 runs scored, tied for third in the majors, and a sixth-best on-base percentage of .325, the Friars make opposing pitching work for every out. With patience at the dish and a knack to get timely hits, it makes sense why the Padres are eager to overthrow the Dodgers or any other NL West opponent in 2022. The San Francisco Giants won the division last season.

With hitting being the name of the game in America's Finest City, it has been the stellar play of first-baseman and former Royal Eric Hosmer, who is slashing .382/.447/.579 in the first month of the 2022 season. In fact, the Padres have the league's two best players when it comes to batting average, as third-baseman Manny Machado is also raking a very efficient .375.

Why The Guardians Could Cover the Spread

After losing seven-straight games that saw the Guardians plummet down the standings, Cleveland has rebounded nicely with their three-game road sweep of the A's over the weekend. The sweep in the city of Oakland was the first time that had happened in 22 years. Displaying themselves as one of baseball's streakier teams, Cleveland is still trying to find their identity out on the diamond. After a disappointing 2021 season that saw them achieve a mediocre 80-82 record, the Guardians are looking to avoid another similar performance this year.

Even with a record of 10-12, Cleveland still sits in second place in the AL Central and only trails Minnesota by 3.5 games for first place in that division.

Seeking his second win of the season will be the righty in Plesac, who has pitched rather well to begin his fifth season in the league. In 2021, the 27-year-old started 25 games and managed to have a winning record of 10-6. Plesac's latest outing against the Angels was one he would like to forget, as he allowed six runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings pitched after only giving up three runs in a trio of starts prior.

If there is one thing that will give the Guardians a superb chance in covering the spread, it is because of the offensive prowess that the Guardians possess inside the batter's box. While Cleveland's statistics slightly slipped during their hefty losing, they are still a top-ten-hitting bunch that can put up the runs in a hurry.

The Guardians are tenth in runs scored with 101, third in batting average at .251, and are sixth in slugging percentage with a .405 mark. With this team's streakiness at full display, their offense is one aspect that does not suffer from inconsistency.

Final Padres-Guardians Prediction & Pick

If it wasn't for Clevinger on the bump, the Guardians would have a decent chance of covering the spread in this one. However, Clevinger will be motivated to defeat his former team that traded him away only a couple of short seasons ago. While it is yet to be seen how deep into the game Clevinger will pitch, it will be enough to get his new squad in the San Diego Padres over the hump in this one.

Final Padres-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Padres -1.5 (+126)