A rematch of the 1998 World Series will shortly be underway when the New York Yankees take on the San Diego Padres down in Southern California. It is time to take a look at our MLB odds series where our Yankees-Padres prediction and pick will be made.

A season ago, it was the Yankees that disappointed greatly on their way to a lackluster 82-80 record which resulted in missing out on postseason play. Furthermore, the down year was New York's worst record since 1992. Nevertheless, the Yankees have stormed out of the gates in 2024 at a blistering pace and appear to be sturdy contenders more than 50 games into the regular season. Overall, the ‘Yanks boast a 35-17 record which puts them 3.5 games up on the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the Al East Standings. In line for the start from the mound in this contest is projected to be lefty Carlos Rodon who is 5-2 with a 3.27 ERA.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres are once again not living up to expectations as they find themselves just barely north of the .500 mark with a 27-26 record. Luckily, San Diego happened to come away with wins in five of their last seven games. However, the Padres still happen to sit a lengthy 6.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West. With the recent confidence under their belts, the Friars will plan on calling upon righty Yu Darvish for the start from the rubber. Despite being 37 years of age, Darvish has amassed a 4-1 record and a minuscule 2.08 earned-run average.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Yankees-Padres Odds

New York Yankees: -1.5 (+146)

Moneyline: -124

San Diego Padres: +1.5 (-178)

Moneyline: +106

Over: 7.5 (-105)

Under: 7.5 (-115)

How to Watch Yankees vs. Padres

Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT

TV: MLB.TV

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Yankees Will Cover The Spread/Win

Are the Bronx Bombers back? After failing miserably for the franchise's standards, this year's version of the Yankees has been absolutely outstanding to say the least. Not only do the ‘Yanks have the best record in all of the American League, but they have a pair of legitimate MVP candidates that have been putting on a show.

Not needing an introduction, the pairing of outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto has been a massive success. With Judge finally healthy after some lingering ailments prevented him from being 100% a year ago, the massive 6'7″ slugger has hit home runs in three of his last five games and has hit the fourth-most baseballs into the bleachers in all of the majors with 15 total. Don't look now, but Judge might be the hottest hitter in baseball at the moment. Indeed, his counterpart Juan Soto isn't any less scalding-hot from the plate as the 25-year-old leads New York with a .312 batting average and 41 RBIs. At the end of the day, these two peas in a pod could end up giving San Diego pitching nightmares by the time the ninth-inning rolls around.

Pitching-wise, Mr. Rodon has proved that he is a reliable and steady veteran hurler at this stage of his career. During his most recent start versus the Chicago White Sox, Rodon tossed six innings of two-run baseball on his way to allowing just four hits on the evening. If the savvy vet is once again just as sharp, then New York end up in pretty good shape.

Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win

Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for the Padres after getting swept by the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rockies, it was San Diego that rebounded nicely by taking three of four games on the road versus the Atlanta Braves. Even if this Padres roster might not be as dynamic in comparison to the mighty Yankees, there is still plenty of firepower to get the job down in this matchup at home.

All in all, it begins with a stellar showing on the rubber from Yu Darvish who is turning back the clock in impressive fashion. Now in his fourth year with San Diego, Darvish is in the midst of a tremendous rebound campaign after compiling a sluggish 4.56 ERA during the 2023 regular season. In fact, Darvish hasn't just been good, he's been dominant. over the course of his last four starts, the Japanese native has yet to allow a run and has pitched 24 straight innings of no-run baseball. Going up against the Yankees is no easy task, but it is Darvish who may be up for the challenge.

Not to mention, but be on the lookout for Fernando Tatis Jr. to wake up his bat in a big way. With just a pair of home runs and only nine runs-batted-in during the last month, Tatis Jr. is more than due for an explosion at the dish.

Final Yankees-Padres Prediction & Pick

This epic inter-league showdown may be the most anticipated game heading into the weekend. With the Yankees slated as -1.5 run favorites, it isn't crazy to side with the Padres to cover the spread simply due to Yu Darvish's red-hot ways. If he can continue to find his rhythm from the mound, then San Diego could end up taking care of business.

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Final Yankees-Padres Prediction & Pick: Padres +1.5 (-178)