A premier NL West showdown is in the works this Thursday night as the San Diego Padres battle it out with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the desert. It is time to check out our MLB odds series where our Padres-Diamondbacks prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering the night with a 9-11 record, the Padres snapped a three-game losing streak in a 1-0 shutout win over the Braves to avoid getting swept. For a team that has World Series aspirations, the sluggish start is concerning, but the hefty confidence that San Diego possesses still remains. Getting the start now for San Diego will be the former Cardinal in RHP Michael Wacha, who is 2-1 with a lofty 6.06 ERA in his first trio of starts on the campaign.
Surprisingly enough, it has been the Arizona Diamondbacks that have taken the NL West lead by storm as they currently lead the division by a full two games over the Dodgers as they have raced out to an 11-8 mark on the young season. Despite getting blown out 14-5 against St. Louis on Wednesday, the D-Backs are proving thus far that they are the real deal. On the mound for Arizona in this one will be Ryne Nelson and his 1-0 record to go along with his 3.71 ERA.
Here are the Padres-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Padres-Diamondbacks Odds
San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+106)
Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-128)
Over: 10 (-114)
Under: 10 (-106)
How To Watch Padres vs. Diamondbacks
TV: Bally Sports Arizona/ Bally Sports San Diego
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 9:40 ET/6:40 PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread
Without a doubt, the biggest and most welcoming news the Padres could possibly receive heading into tonight’s action is that Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally set to make his return in a San Diego uniform. After being suspended 80 games due to violating the MLB substance policy shortly after injuring himself, Tatis Jr. has officially served his time and is ready to go ball out for the Friars. Simply put, many have forgotten that the dynamic infielder was ascending into being one of the top players in all of baseball, so his addition back to the San Diego lineup should only make this team that much more dangerous as the season progresses.
Not to mention, at the Triple-A level, Tatis Jr absolutely raked opposing pitching to the tune of a .515 batting average, seven homers, and a pesky .590 on-base percentage in the eight games that he played down in El Paso.
Alas, not only will the return of Tatis Jr. be a sight for sore eyes when it comes to finding a way to cover the spread and ultimately nab a victory against a division rival, but getting Michael Wacha back on track would be a welcomed addition as well. Last time out, it was Wacha that got rocked for seven runs in only 4.1 innings pitched versus the Brewers, as returning to his All-Star caliber self would be a much-needed boost versus the division leader Diamondbacks.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
Not many saw it coming, but the Diamondbacks have thus far exceeded all pre-season expectations by being an early-season division contender in the NL West. A big reason for Arizona’s early season success has been in large part due to consistently stringing together base-hit after base-hit to generate traffic on the base paths against opposing pitching.
Believe it or not, but the D-Backs own the seventh-best batting average in all of baseball thanks to a couple early-season stand-out performances by guys like third-baseman Josh Rojas and center-fielder Corbin Carroll. Oftentimes, it ends up being the unexpected heroes, especially at the start of the season that transform themselves into reliable options on the diamond, and that is exactly what has occurred for this pair of dynamic ballplayers. If Rojas and Carrol make some noise once again later this evening, then the Padres may find themselves in deep trouble.
Above all else, while the hitting numbers have been mostly positive for Arizona so far, their pitching productivity still leaves much to desire after 19 games played. After designating left-hander Madison Bumgarner for assignment after struggling mightily and seemingly not looking like the pitcher that he once was, the Diamondbacks can only hope that hurler Ryne Nelson will be up to the task to shut down an extremely talented Padres lineup. In his last start, Nelson logged a solid quality start in which he gave up only five hits on one-earned run and also striking out a handful of Marlins en route to the no-decision. Clearly, if Nelson can pitch deep into a ballgame for the third consecutive start, then covering the spread as a team won’t appear to be as difficult, especially in front of the home crowd.
Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
While it is slightly head-scratching that the Padres are off to such an inconsistent start, it will end up being Fernando Tatis Jr. that has a monstrous performance in his first MLB game since the 2021 season.
Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Padres -1.5 (+106)
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