The Phillies took Game 1 in San Diego as the Padres look to respond. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Phillies-Padres prediction and pick.

 

The Phillies started slow last night, but the bats got going against Joe Musgrove as the Phillies took down the Padres 6-2. This was Musgrove's worst outing of the season as he had been excellent to this point. The Padres' top hurler still managed to complete six innings. Kyle Schwarber launched a 2-run homer followed by a JT Realmuto 3-run homer in the 6th inning. Without Manny Machado for the Padres, it was tough for them to come back from five runs.

Here are the Phillies-Padres MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Phillies-Padres Odds

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+136)

San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-164)

Over: 7 (-118)

Under: 7 (-104)

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Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread

On the mound tonight for the Fighting Phils is right-hander Aaron Nola. Nola is pitching well this season with a (4-4) record and 3.11 ERA in 89.2 innings. His 0.87 WHIP is 3rd in the majors and his 99 strikeouts are 6th in all of baseball. The 29-year-old pitches a little better on the road this season with a 2.25 ERA in 48 innings. He should excel in a pro-pitching ballpark that is Petco Park.

Schwarber and Realmuto came to the rescue last night as they capitalized off of a huge inning. Musgrove hadn't allowed more than two runs in a game all season and allowed six for the first time in quite some time. That shows how valuable this Philadelphia lineup is. The lineup will be facing a southpaw on the mound tonight, so if Schwarber and Bryce Harper can find ways to get on base they should have no problem covering this spread.

Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread

Lefty MacKenzie Gore will start his 11th game of the season in which he has played very well … unless it's against the Colorado Rockies. In the 22 runs he's allowed this season, 14 came against the Rockies. He has dominated every other opponent besides them. His ERA still is promising at 3.64 in 54 innings pitched. If the rookie can get back on track in this game it should help his confidence heading into the summer.

The Friars accumulated only seven hits in the loss last night which will hardly get it done. Given the fact that Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, and Luke Voit were out of the lineup, you can see why they struggled. Machado should need a few more days to let his sprained ankle heal and he will be back in the lineup soon likely as a DH. The fact that he hasn't been placed on the IL after five days should be a great sign.

The lineup will need to continue to step up in his absence, however, as yesterday they did not. A sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks showed signs that they can figure things out, but this Phillies pitching staff is far superior.

Final Phillies-Padres Prediction & Pick

This should be an exciting matchup, especially if Austin Nola starts to face his brother on the mound. I like the younger brother, Aaron, in this matchup though because of how well he is pitching. Without Machado in the lineup, the Padres could struggle once again.

Final Phillies-Padres Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+136)