NL West Rivals Do Battle In Series In San Diego
D’Backs vs Padres Preview Gives Edge to Hosts

The San Diego Padres return home Friday to start a three-game series against the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks in a battle of two teams that are heating up. Both squads are playing better of late as they try to make the drive for a Wild Card berth in the National League. Our D’Backs vs Padres Preview will give you all the insights you need for this exciting matchup.
San Diego (48-43) is on a two-game winning streak and has won 11 of its last 14 contests. The Padres sit in second place in the NL West standings, 6.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, but they are in the second NL Wild Card spot heading into this series.
Arizona is also on a two-game winning streak, having taken a series on the road from the Dodgers this week, and it has won four of its last five contests. The Diamondbacks (43-44) are in third in the NL West, sitting three games behind the Padres, and they and the New York Mets are both 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final Wild Card slot in the NL.

D’Backs vs Padres Preview: Game Details
- As you make your MLB picks today, you can get the Padres as the favorite for a straight-up win at -111, or you can bet on the Diamondbacks at +101.
- Betting on the run line will get you Arizona at -200 when getting 1.5 runs, while San Diego is listed at +170 when giving those runs. The over/under for Friday’s game is set at 8.5 runs, with the over getting -120 odds and the under getting -100.
The first two games of the series are set for 9:40 p.m. ET starts, with the series finale on Sunday scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. ET. All games in the series will be played at Petco Park in San Diego.
Our D’Backs vs Padres preview will provide you with even more details about this series, so read on.
D’Backs vs Padres Preview: Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Slade Cecconi (Arizona) vs Randy Vasquez (San Diego)
San Diego will have right-hander Slade Cecconi getting the start for the series opener. The 25-year-old is 2-6 with a 5.81 ERA in 12 overall appearances (11 starts), striking out 48 in 57.1 innings of work. Cecconi has been hot and cold and is coming off a four-inning start against the Oakland Athletics last Friday in which he allowed three runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two.
Opposing Cecconi in the opener for San Diego will be righty Randy Vasquez, who has been solid in his last two starts. Vasquez enters his 12th start of the season with a 2-4 mark and a 4.88 ERA, recording 32 strikeouts in 51.2 innings this season. Over his last two outings, Vasquez has gone a combined nine innings, allowing one run on 10 hits striking out four and walking four.
Game 2: Brandon Pfaadt (Arizona) vs Matt Waldron (San Diego)
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt gets the call for Saturday’s contest for the Diamondbacks. Pfaadt is 3-6 with a 4.28 ERA, striking out 94 in 103 innings. Pfaadt was very good on Sunday against Oakland, going six innings and allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight and walking two. It was just the second time in his last eight starts that he’s allowed fewer than three runs.
The Padres will have righty Matt Waldron on the mound for Saturday’s contest. Waldron is currently 5-7 with a 3.56 ERA and 87 strikeouts after 17 starts this season. He took the loss in his last outing against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, lasting 4.1 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits, including two home runs while striking out three and walking one.
Game 3: Ryne Nelson (Arizona) vs Dylan Cease (San Diego)
The series finale will see Ryne Nelson getting the start for Arizona. The right-hander is 5-6 with a 5.42 ERA, and he’s been as up and down as his record might indicate. He took a no-decision after going five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits, but in his prior start, he gave up six runs on 10 hits in just 3.2 innings against the Minnesota Twins.
Another pitcher who has struggled with consistency is right-hander Dylan Cease, the Padres’ scheduled starter for Sunday. Cease, who is 7-7 with a 4.24 ERA, ranks among the MLB leaders in strikeouts, sitting third entering the weekend with 130 in 102 innings of work. Cease is coming off an ugly start against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, lasting just 3.2 innings and allowing six runs on eight hits, including two home runs, while striking out five and walking two.
Diamondbacks’ Offense Catching Fire Of Late
Arizona’s offense has been heating up over the last few games, and that’s thanks to the red-hot bat of first baseman Christian Walker. The 33-year-old was fantastic in the three-game series against the Dodgers, going 8-for-13 with a double, five home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored. He had a pair of home runs in each of the last two contests, both Diamondbacks victories.
On the season, Walker now ties for fifth in baseball with 22 home runs and ranks eighth in the majors with 62 RBI. He also has 18 doubles and 56 runs scored while batting .271.
San Diego has a couple of the top hitters in baseball as well, which has helped as they deal with the typical MLB injuries, including one to All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who is currently on the injured list with a stress reaction in his femur.
Outfielder Jurickson Profar – also an All-Star starter – is third in the majors with a .317 batting average this season. Profar had a pair of hits, including a home run, in Thursday’s win over Texas, and he enters this series with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, 56 RBI and 50 runs scored. Second baseman Luis Arraez, who came to the team in a mid-season deal with the Miami Marlins, is also among the league leaders in batting average, ranking seventh at .312.
Padres Take High-Scoring Series
As we wrap up our D’Backs vs Padres preview, remember one key aspect when betting on this series: both teams have high-powered offenses. These rivals have squared off seven times already this season, and the winning team scored at least seven runs in six of the seven contests.
Although Arizona has been heating up at the plate of late, we like the Padres to have enough firepower to earn the majority of victories in this weekend’s set. When you’re betting on this series, put your wagers on host San Diego.
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