Aiming to start stringing some victories together, the Arizona Diamondbacks will welcome in the San Diego Padres for the first half of a short, two-game set Tuesday.
These clubs met just last week, with the Friars sweeping three contests at home. After this slate, they’ll cross paths once more before the All-Star break.
The Diamondbacks (33-41) are coming off of their first win in six tries. They haven’t notched more than two wins at a time this month, despite facing off against less-than-stellar opposition in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Detroit.
In the MLB standings, they rank fourth in the National League West, only one game ahead of last-place Colorado. Nobody in the division has less than their 18 home wins.
San Diego (45-30) just lost three of four to Philadelphia but is still keeping up with Los Angeles, who holds a 1.5-game lead in the NL West. In fact, after this stop in the desert, the Padres are headed to Chavez Ravine to grapple with the Dodgers. They’ve done well on the road, though, winning 24 tilts.
The Padres are a middling team in the batter’s box, which you’ll learn by peeking at MLB stats. They have a .242 batting average, which is 15th in the major leagues.
Third baseman Manny Machado has been a crucial presence in the Padres’ order, as he leads the team in hitting (.328), home runs (12), RBIs (46), and on-base percentage (.400).
First baseman Eric Hosmer has been his offensive sidekick to this point, swinging for a .281 average at the plate.
Padres vs Diamondbacks Odds
MLB odds favor the stronger team in these sorts of MLB matchups. San Diego is -1.5 on the run line at +152, while the Diamondbacks are -184 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Padres are -110 and Arizona -106. The total has been set at 7.5 runs, with the over being -112 and the under -108 at the time of this writing.
Arizona has been an awfully poor hitting team this season, as their .216 average is better than only Oakland’s thus far. The Diamondbacks’ total runs driven in also ranks in the bottom six.
Second baseman Ketel Marte has a team-high .264 average, and no regular behind him is hitting better than .245. First baseman Christian Walker has helped with production, clubbing 19 homers and racking up 38 RBIs.
Matchup Information
Padres vs Diamondbacks Betting Preview
The starter on the mound for the home team will be 26-year-old right-hander Zac Gallen. In 13 starts this season, he boasts a 4-2 record and a 2.92 ERA.
The Diamondbacks have come up short in three of his four outings this month, including an extra-inning defeat to the San Diego Padres his last time out.
In that no-decision, Gallen pitched for six frames, conceding four hits and two runs, one of which was earned. In his last 13 innings of work, he’s only allowed six knocks. He’s lasted at least five frames in all but one of his nods this campaign.
Gallen’s counterpart here will be San Diego’s Sean Manaea, who has a 3-3 mark and a 1.15 WHIP.
Manaea was on the winning end of that last duel with Gallen, going six innings and also allowing four hits. He fanned six in that one.
The Padres have emerged victorious from five of his last six starts. Their only loss was a no-decision for Manaea against Milwaukee. He gave up only one earned run against the Brewers.
San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions
Manaea has the better supporting cast behind him in this game at Chase Field. Machado, mainly, has been spectacular this go-round and provides a steady force for his hurler to count on.
Arizona won’t be able to generate much offense, leaving the Padres with a great opportunity to jump ahead early and defend the lead.
Take San Diego to cover the spread in your MLB picks today.
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