The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres will clash on the diamond at Petco Park this evening as each squad will be jockeying for better positioning in the National League playoff race. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Phillies-Padres prediction and pick will be revealed for all sports betting fanatics to see.
After a scorching hot run that saw the Phillies win as many as nine consecutive games, Philadelphia has hit a slight bump in the road and have lost three straight matchups. Looking to get things turned around will be the lefty Ranger Suarez with his 5-4 record and 4.43 ERA.
Don't look now, but the Padres are proving that they are legitimate contenders in stealing the NL West crown from the Dodgers. Entering this one with a three-game winning streak after sweeping the D-Backs rather easily, San Diego will call upon one of the best pitchers in 2022 thus far in RHP Joe Musgrove. The skilled Padres hurler is a perfect 8-0 with a dazzling 1.59 ERA.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Phillies-Padres MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Padres Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-154)
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+128)
Over: 7 (-124)
Under: 7 (+102)
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Why The Phillies Could Cover the Spread
Facing off with the Padres for the first time since May 17th-19th, it is wild just how different a team can look after a month of play. Of course, the Phillies are led by a different manager at the helm in Rob Thomson, as the change in leadership has worked wonders for the most part.
Philadelphia's next challenge at hand? Finding a way to not lose all of their winning progress by nipping this three-game losing skid in the butt. Even with the recent losses, Philadelphia is 15-5 over their last 20 games.
The name of the Phillies game has clearly been the play at the plate 70 games in. While OF Bryce Harper is much to credit with his stupendous .326 batting average, the team overall has built off one another and have managed to score 334 runs on the season, good for sixth in the majors. Additionally, the Phillies do damage in the extra-base bits and home run department with a .415 slugging percentage to boot.
Although the Phillies only sit two games above .500, Philadelphia's pitching arms may be getting overlooked in the big picture of things. In fact, the ‘Phils have been one of baseball's better pitching units. With an above-average ERA at 3.93 and the fourth-most quality starts with 31 of them, the Phillies are definitely capable of making opposing hitters look silly. The southpaw Ranger Suarez will have his back up against the wall in a matchup with Joe Musgrove, but do not be deceived. Suarez currently occupies a perfect 0.00 ERA in three appearances throughout his career versus San Diego.
Why The Padres Could Cover the Spread
The underwhelming Padres from a season ago are no longer, as the 2022 version of this squad seems to have the pieces to contend for a championship later this year. With one of the best bullpens in baseball and an offense that can leave their mark, San Diego is as scary as they come.
The loss of NL MVP candidate Manny Machado will be a tough pill to swallow at the plate. Before Machado awkwardly tweaked his ankle which resulted in his removal from the series finale in Denver against the Rockies, San Diego's best slugger was hitting an outstanding .328 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. While the injury doesn't seem to be as gruesome as it first appeared, Machado will most likely be taking it easy over the course of the next week or so.
Fortunately for San Diego, they may not need to generate an abundance of runs when they defend their home field against the Phillies tonight. Joe Musgrove has quietly transformed himself into one of the more lethal flamethrowers that this sport has to offer, and he will be looking to extend his perfect 2022 even further on Thursday.
While Musgrove is recently coming off a short stint on the COVID protocol list which may effect his stamina, he has only surrendered two runs over his last three starts and struck out nine batters against the Cubs last Thursday. Without a doubt, Musgrove holds the key to the Padres covering the spread in this one and ultimately coming out triumphant. Musgrove is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four appearances against the Phillies and the Padres are also 11-1 when the 29-year-old ace takes the mound.
Final Phillies-Padres Prediction & Pick
This matchup has the makings of keeping baseball fans on the edge of their seats, but only one side will be smiling from ear to ear when it is all but said and done. Betting against Musgrove in this one should be highly frowned upon, especially with the Phillies seemingly cooling down of late. Side with San Diego and their ability to cover the -1.5 run spread this evening.
Final Phillies-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres -1.5 (+128)
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