The Padres make the trip to Boston to face the Red Sox! These two teams are playing very well recently after struggling with consistency most of the season. Both teams have a chance to be involved in the playoffs now that each is playing much better. Our MLB odds series has our Padres-Red Sox prediction, odds, and pick for Saturday.

Padres-Red Sox Projected Starters 

Michael King vs. Tanner Houck

Michael King (5-5) with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up five runs on nine hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in a Padres loss.

2024 Road Splits: (4-2) 3.00 ERA

Tanner Houck (7-5) with a 2.18 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 6.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a Red Sox win.

2024 Home Splits: (3-3) 2.41 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Padres-Red Sox Odds

San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-176)

Moneyline: +124

Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)

Moneyline: -146

Over: 9 (-110)

Under: 9 (-110)

How to Watch Padres vs. Red Sox

Time: 7:10 pm ET

TV: NESN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Padres have been inconsistent but have a winning record of 44-41 this season. The key has been their offense this season where they are second in the league. In comparison, their pitching is in the bottom half of the MLB. Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jurickson Profar, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth have been the biggest keys behind the plate, and why the Padres have surprised a bit as a team. Their pitching needs help with only Matt Waldron and Yu Darvish playing well so far up to this point.

The Padres are starting Michael King on the mound and he has a 5-5 record, a 3.75 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP. Through 93.2 innings, he has allowed 44 runs on 83 hits with 38 walks and 109 strikeouts. He has appeared in 17 games so far this season and the Padres have gone 10-7 in those games. King has been one of the best pitchers available for the Padres this season. He gets a tough matchup against a red-hot Red Sox offense behind the plate.

The Padres' offense has started the season playing great. They are second in team batting average at .261 after finishing with a .244 average last season. The offense is highlighted mainly by Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. in most of the batting categories. Profar leads the way in batting average at .316, in RBI at 55, in OBP at .408, and in total hits at 90. Tatis Jr. then leads the way in home runs at 14. Their offense can compete with any team in the MLB, but it is a tough matchup against Tanner Houck on the mound for the Red Sox and the great year he has been having in Boston.

Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Red Sox have been average for the most part this season, but are playing much better recently. They have a 43-37 record and have won eight of their last 10 games. Statistically, the Red Sox are seventh in offense and sixth in pitching. Tyler O'Neill, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rafael Devers are all talented players and have been solid to a varying degree behind the plate so far this season. Regarding their pitching, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock despite his current injury have made up a great pitching staff.

The Red Sox are starting Tanner Houck on the mound where he has a 7-5 record, a 2.18 ERA, and a 0.97 WHIP. He has allowed 33 runs on 82 hits with 18 walks and 101 strikeouts through 103.1 total innings this season. In the 16 games he has started this year, the Red Sox are 10-6. Houck has been great for the Red Sox and a key piece in a strong pitching staff in Boston. This is a big matchup because the Padres offense has been great, so this is a strength-on-strength matchup.

The Red Sox's offense is red-hot currently. They are seventh in team batting average at .253 after finishing last season at .258. The offense is led by Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran in most batting categories behind the plate. Devers is tied for the lead in home runs at 16 with Tyler O'Neill and then leads in RBI at 42, and in OBP at .368. Then, Duran leads in batting average at .288 and total hits at 96. This offense is playing great as a unit but gets a difficult matchup against Michael King on the mound for the Padres who have struggled a lot.

Final Padres-Red Sox Prediction & Pick

This game is up to the pitchers to slow down each team's great offense. The Padres should keep things close with King on the mound because Houck has been great in his own right. This should be a close game because these teams are so even, but the Padres should cover, even if the Red Sox still win at home.

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Final Padres-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Padres +1.5 (-176)