Surging Padres Continue Chase for NL West Lead

The San Diego Padres (69-53), winners of nine of their last 10 games, have pulled within two games of the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the National League West. They’ll look to continue their strong play when they visit the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series, starting Friday.

Overall, the Padres have won 19 of their last 22 games increasing their MLB playoff odds by the day. The Colorado Rockies (44-78) have lost three straight and eight of 11.

Today’s MLB odds have made San Diego a -171 road favorite with a total of 11 (over -125). Don’t be surprised to see that number climb to 11.5.

The first pitch is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET and can be seen on the San Diego Padres or Colorado Rockies local network. Let’s get to our Padres vs Rockies MLB betting preview.

Game One: Matt Waldron (SD) 7-9, 4.00 vs Cal Quantrill (Col) 7-8, 4.56

The moneyline in game one is too rich to take the Padres, and we can’t pull the trigger on the lowly Rockies. That leaves us with a healthy total of 11.

We will wait on this number before betting it because we’ll get an 11.5 before the books go to -130 on the juice.

Knuckleballer Matt Waldron looks to rebound from a rocky start against Miami. Waldron was tagged for five runs on five hits, including a home run, and walked two batters. San Diego, however, rallied to win 9-8 in 10 innings.

• It was the second time in three starts that Waldron gave up five earned. In his last five starts, Waldron has a 2-1 record but a 5.19 ERA.

Quantrill has a similar resume after allowing three earned in 4.1 innings against tonight’s opponent in a 10-2 Padres win on Aug. 4. In his last five starts, Quantrill owns a 1-2 record with an unsightly 8.18 ERA.

Recent trends suggest the over may hit, but nothing is guaranteed in baseball. Take the under in this spot.

Game Two: Dylan Cease (SD) 11-9, 3.41 vs Kyle Freeland (Col) 3-4, 5.75

In the game where bettors may expect less offense, we’re running in the opposite direction. Despite Cease’s recent dominance, it’s reasonable to think Cease will be less effective in the high altitude.

Over his last five starts, Cease has incredible numbers with a record of 3-1, allowing three earned runs over 27.2 innings (0.98 ERA). That includes a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on July 25 in which he struck out nine. It’s hard to get better than that.

Freeland, on the other hand, has battled MLB injuries and is still trying to find his 2018 form when he won 17 games. Since then, the left-hander is just 30-51.

• Over his last five starts, Freeland has a 2-1 record with an ERA of 5.33. We think San Diego will do most of the heavy lifting, but we’re going over the total for Saturday in our Padres vs Rockies MLB betting preview.

Daulton Varsho (7)

Opponent: Colorado Rockies
Pitcher: Kyle Freeland
Date: 8/21/21 pic.twitter.com/WQxMBLHoL3

— Diamondbacks Home Runs (@DbacksHomers) August 16, 2024

Game Three: Joe Musgrove (SD) 3-4, 5.20 vs Bradley Blalock (Col) 0-0, 4.05

We’ll have to see what the number is, but we suspect we’ll be staring at a total of 10.5 or 11.

Musgrove has battled injuries since spring training. However, if his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates is any indication, Musgrove seems poised for a strong finish. Making his first appearance since May 26, Musgrove shut out his former MLB team for 4.1 innings, allowing just two hits in a 2-1 win.

• Over his last two starts, Musgrove has allowed one earned run in 9.2 innings and four earned over Musgrove’s last 19.2 innings (1.83 ERA).

Blalock will be making his second start for the Rockies after getting traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. In his first start, Blalock allowed three earned runs across 5.2 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Blalock is an unknown, but we like Musgrove to stay hot. Our MLB prediction is targeting the under.

That does it for our Padres vs Rockies MLB betting preview. All the best with your wagers this weekend.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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