Padres vs D’Backs Betting Odds: NL West Showdown

The San Diego Padres look to climb a little higher in the NL West standings when they visit division rival Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game weekend series that begins Friday evening.

San Diego comes into the game on a two-game winning streak and takes the final two games of a home series against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Padres (16-18) enter this series in second place in the NL West, well behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arizona (14-18) is just one game behind San Diego in the division standings, although the San Francisco Giants are sandwiched between the two baseball teams. The Diamondbacks are looking for some consistency as they have alternated wins and losses over the past five games.

Things should be tight this weekend based on MLB odds for the opener. Both teams are listed at -105 on the moneyline. The over/under for Friday’s match is set at 8.5 runs, with the over getting -115 and the under -105.

This series kicks off with a 9:40 PM ET match on Friday, followed by Saturday’s match at 8:10 PM ET. Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for a first pitch at 4:10 PM ET.

Game 1

Pitching matchups

Game 1

• Dylan Cease (San Diego) vs. Slade Cecconi (Arizona)

The Padres will send right-hander Dylan Cease to the mound for the series opener as he makes his seventh start of the season. Cease enters with a 3-2 record and a 2.78 ERA, striking out 40 in 35.2 innings of work.

He’s off to a rough start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. He lasted six innings, but allowed five runs on six hits while striking out five and walking three.

The Diamondbacks will counter with righty Slade Cecconi making his third start of the season. The 24-year-old is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and has been solid in both of his starts.

His last outing was a six-inning stint against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, in which he allowed one run on three hits while striking out eight.

Game 2

• Michael King (San Diego) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (Arizona)

In Saturday’s matchup, right-hander Michael King will take the mound for the Padres, bringing a 2-3 record and a 5.00 ERA.

King struck out 40 in 36 innings, including at least five in each of his last three starts. King is off to a rough start against the Phillies on Sunday, allowing six runs on six hits, including three home runs, in 5.1 innings.

This game could be one of the highest-scoring baseball results of the day, as the Diamondbacks will be starting right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA and has allowed at least two runs in each of his five starts in April.

He went six innings against the Mariners on Sunday, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out eleven while taking a no-decision.

Game 3

• Matt Waldron (San Diego) vs. Undecided (Arizona)

Right-hander Matt Waldron will get the start for the Padres in the MLB season finale on Sunday. Waldron is 1-3 with a 4.35 ERA in six starts and has struck out 27 in 31 innings.

He took Monday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds, allowing four runs and six hits in six innings of work.

It will likely be a bullpen matchup for Arizona’s pitching staff for the final game of this series, making things interesting for your MLB predictions for today.

This spot in the rotation was filled by relievers on Tuesday in the infamous bee game against the Dodgers. Seven pitchers combined to hold Los Angeles to five hits and three runs in a 10-inning victory.

Potential high-scoring series

The NL West is currently the most offensive division in baseball, with the three highest-scoring teams in baseball coming from the set of five franchises.

Los Angeles is at the top, but San Diego (163) and Arizona (162) are right behind in points scored, ranking second and third respectively. Every free MLB pick for this series should include a bet on the over, as these teams can light up the scoreboard.

The Padres would like outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. gets excited at the plate. Tatis leads the team with six home runs, but is hitting only .233. First baseman Jake Cronenworth paces San Diego with 24 RBI, batting .265 with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 17 runs scored.

Arizona’s offense is powered by first baseman Christian Walker, who has team highs with seven home runs and 22 RBI. Walker, who hit two home runs in the 10-inning win over the Dodgers earlier this week, is batting .276 with three doubles and 24 runs scored.

Diamondbacks win home series

The Padres are the team coming into this series on a winning streak, but those two wins came after five straight losses. San Diego just hasn’t shown consistency at the plate this season, and that will hurt him in this series.

Arizona is 8-8 at home this season, but will finish this series above .500 at Chase Field. Your Padres vs D’Backs bets should be on the home team in every game of this series, and the over is a bet you should make as well.

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