Meanwhile, this is where the Padres differ since they had some struggles early on in the season but since then have been a titan of the MLB. This is, of course, in large part due to the incredible group of batters in the Padres lineup. They’ve also found a way to snag the third-best average in terms of team ERA. In the first game of the series, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit three home runs and contributed heavily to the Padres 11-5 victory.
With the Padres looking to chase down their NL West rival, the LA Dodgers, every game is crucial. Can they walk over the Diamondbacks again? Or will Arizona find a way to cut down the production of Tatis and the rest of the Padres batters?
With so many pitchers on the IL, Arizona will rely on SP Merritt Kelly
This is an unfortunate circumstance for the Diamondbacks as they’d much rather rely on a stronger pitcher when facing the Padres. However, they’ll have to put SP Merritt Kelly on the mound, who has a 3-7 record as a starter.
Kelly leaves much to be desired in the way of pitching, his ERA being the main problem. At 5.06, you can imagine the Padres batters licking their chops when they saw who would be taking the mound on Saturday.
The Padres plan is simple, do what you do best: score
Tied for ninth in the league in terms of runs at 359, the San Diego Padres know how to overwhelm an opponent. For example, in their first game of this series against the Diamondbacks, the Padres put up 8 runs in the first four innings. It’s difficult for some teams to score eight runs in a game, let alone the first four innings.
The recipe will likely follow the same format on Saturday night, and they’ll be playing another late game against an opponent with a lackluster pitcher. This gives the Padres the perfect opportunity to run up the score early and coast through the remainder of the game.
Between these two, which team gives you the best chance at the sportsbook? San Diego Padres -270
Sure, they’re heavy favorites, so the payout won’t be as large, but you can’t argue that the Padres aren’t the smartest bet here. The Padres are 29-14 at home, while the Diamondbacks haven’t even won ten games on the road. Arizona has gone 0-10 in their last ten games when traveling, and you can’t argue with statistics.
Frankly, the Diamondbacks just don’t have enough firepower in their bullpen to compete with the Padres here. The situation could be different had they not lost so many pitchers to the injured list, but that’s baseball.
Look for the hometown team to win here and go on to win game three, sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres -270.