Marlins vs Padres Predictions: San Diego Making Up Ground
Padres Pull to Within 5.5 Games in NL West
The Miami Marlins look to keep up their winning ways when they visit San Diego for three games starting Monday. After a dreadful start, Miami is playing better, going 12-11 so far in May. The Padres are 13-10 in May and are back within 5.5 games of the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers.
This won’t be an easy series for the Padres, who will be facing three left-handed starters. San Diego has been shut out in five of their last six games against a left-handed starter.
The Marlins vs Padres predictions see San Diego favored -185 in the opening game and the total is 7.5-over (-120).
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!
Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!Miami’s problems aren’t too hard to pinpoint. They’re not hitting for average or power and the pitching has been bad. That’s why the Miami Marlins standings show them with the third-worst record in baseball.
Miami is hitting .234, which is No. 22 in MLB. The team’s 43 home runs put them tied for No. 27 and their No. 22 in stolen bases. It’s little wonder the team isn’t scoring much.
The pitching has been worse. The Marlins are No. 28 in team ERA and the bullpen has eight saves and 11 blown save opportunities.
The starters have been horrible, including a few pitchers who have been much better in the past. It’s a brutal combination for Miami.
 Marlins vs Padres 
Records: Miami Marlins (19-35), San Diego Padres (28-28)
Day/Time:
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Streaming: MLB Network
San Diego Struggles With Lefties
The Padres are hitting the ball, with the Padres No. 5 in team batting. The Padres aren’t hitting a lot of home runs, where they rank No. 17. San Diego is No. 13 in slugging percentage.
A lot of that has to do with the team’s recent struggles against left-handed starters. For the MLB season, the Padres are averaging 2.5 runs against LHP and 5.2 runs against right-handed starters.
The pitching staff has been average, ranking No. 14 in team ERA. The Padres are 15 of 21 in save opportunities. The bullpen has been a little better on the road but hasn’t been bad overall.
Monday’s Game
Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Marlins and he’s been disappointing this season. He’s had a few decent starts, but his 6.11 ERA lets you know there haven’t been many good starts.
Miami is just 1-9 when he starts this season after dropping his first eight outings.
Michael King gets the start for San Diego and the Padres are 6-4 when he starts. He’s had a few rough outings, but some pretty solid ones.
He’s allowed six or more runs in four of his starts and one run or less in four. It just depends on which Michael King shows up.
The MLB odds on this game are about where they should be. San Diego doesn’t give you a lot of confidence heading into this game, although they have scored five runs or more four times against lefties.
They’re not completely inept, but the price is too high. The safest play here may be the under 7.5 at even money.
Tuesday’s Game
Jesus Luzardo gets the start for the Marlins and he’s been pitching well. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, but Miami is just 3-5 when he takes the mound.
His worst start of the year came on the road, so his home-away stats are skewed.
Matt Waldron starts for the Padres and San Diego is 3-7 when he starts. San Diego is 0-4 when he starts at home, as his best outings have come on the road. He isn’t getting run support and the Padres are 2-7-1 in totals when he starts.
The Marlins vs Padres predictions will have this game pretty much a toss-up. The key is the Padres will be favored, so the Marlins will offer up a little bit of betting value and should be one of your MLB picks for Tuesday.
Wednesday’s Game
Braxton Garrett and Yu Darvish are the scheduled starters for the series finale. Garrett is coming off a shutout after being roughed up in his first two starts of the season.
Miami scored 17 runs in his first two starts to win both games, so the Marlins are 3-0 with Garrett on the hill.
Darvish is coming off his worst start of the season after allowing four homers to the Yankees. It was the first MLB game all season he’s allowed more than four runs.
The Marlins vs Padres predictions are going to be on San Diego, although it’s a question of how high the line is. Darvish is playable up to -170, but that’s about it.
If the line comes out higher, it’s either the Padres on the run line or pass the game.
For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
