The San Diego Padres will conclude their three-game series with the Kansas City Royals in the finale at Kauffman Stadium. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Padres-Royals prediction and pick.
The Padres defeated the Royals 4-3 on Saturday. They struggled early as they allowed a Hunter Dozier RBI single to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Then, Nick Pratto doubled to center field, making it 3-0 Kansas City. San Diego fought back in the second when Wil Myers cracked a shot to deep right field. It was the third home run in 2022, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Later, Manny Machado singled to right field to tie the game. Brandon Drury would deliver an RBI single to give the Padres the lead for good.
Yu Darvish rebounded from a bad first inning, tossing six scoreless innings the rest of the way. Therefore, he finished the night with seven innings thrown with three earned runs and five hits allowed with six strikeouts.
Sean Manaea will take the mound for the Padres today. Manaea is 7-6 with a 4.64 ERA. Recently, he pitched a brilliant game, allowing seven innings on one earned run and five hits. Manaea is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA over four starts. Conversely, he has inflated stats due to a terrible start against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the beginning of the month. Manaea has thrown magnificently since that lousy outing.
Jonathan Heasley takes the mound for Kansas City. Heasley is 1-7 with a 5.21 ERA. Recently, he tossed 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball but left the game due to a high pitch count. Heasley walked four batters in that contest. Thus, he has not been able to maintain a starting role. The Royals have given him sporadic starts throughout the season.
Here are the Padres-Royals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Padres-Royals Odds
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (-125)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (+104)
Over: 9.5 (-108)
Under: 9.5 (-112)
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
The Padres are hanging around despite not having the services of Fernando Tatis Jr. Yes, they are without their top hitter and still holding onto the last playoff spot in the NL. Their decision to go after Juan Soto and Josh Bell looks better because they still have weapons to support and surround Machado. Thus, these hitters can destroy a pitch at any given moment.
Soto went 2 for 4 last night while scoring a run. Meanwhile, Machado went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Bell went 1 for 4 and scored a run. Finally, Myers went 1 for 3 with two RBIs. The Padres scored 13 runs the previous night and have enjoyed facing the Royals over these two games. The offense must continue to hum and avoid falling into a bad hole. The lineup struggled during the series against the Cleveland Guardians. Thus, it has wavered between good and bad.
The pitching has executed well in this series. Likewise, the starters and bullpen match each other. The Royals have mustered nine runs over two games. Ultimately, it has not been enough to win one game.
Soto must take himself to the next level as the Padres prepare to finish this series before a tough divisional series with the San Francisco Giants. Soto is batting .299 with two home runs, four RBIs, and 15 runs in 19 games with the Padres. Moreover, it has been okay, but the Padres expected more from him.
The Padres will cover the spread if Manaea can have another good outing. Additionally, San Diego covers if Soto, Bell, Machado, and Myers deliver at the plate.
Why The Royals Could Cover The Spread
The Royals are in disarray again. Hence, the losses pile on, and the team struggles repeatedly. Kansas City does have some pieces for a bright future. Ultimately, they do not look great in the present. Yesterday represented another lost opportunity. Yes, the Royals did cover the spread by losing by one run. But it was another loss, and Kansas City has seen that too often this year.
Bobby Witt Jr. went 1 for 3 but did nothing of value. Additionally, Salvador Perez went 1 for 4. Hunter Dozier had two hits in his four at-bats. Finally, M.J. Melendez struggled at the top of the lineup, going 0 for 4. These four players are the heart of the offense. Subsequently, they could not do enough to power the Royals to victory.
The Royals will cover the spread if Heasley does well. Likewise, Kansas City needs Witt, Melendez, Perez, and Dozier to put up numbers to beat a tough San Diego squad.
Final Padres-Royals Prediction & Pick
The Padres have high expectations. Meanwhile, the Royals are playing out the stretch. The Padres will win this game, finish the sweep, and cover the spread.
Final Padres-Royals Prediction & Pick: San Diego Padres: -1.5 (-125)
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