The baseball betting world never expected the San Diego Padres to be challenging for the NL West pennant. It was supposed to be the Giants and the Dodgers battling away for the pennant, but things just have a funny way of working out. Now the Padres lead the NL West by five and half games over the Giants and the Dodgers are not even in the picture.The NFL betting and NCAA football betting will have to wait for a while in Southern California as the Padres are getting geared up for the playoffs. The Padres have won seven of their last 10 which includes a current two-game winning streak. That has helped to put some distance between themselves and the Giants as the Giants have gone .500 in their last 10 games.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are 27 games out of first place in the NL West and planning for the future. With roster experimentation comes losing baseball games, and the Diamondbacks have lost seven of their last 10 games. Arizona has been experimenting with AAA players at almost every position to see who will be part of the line-up next season, and to see which current players need to go.
The Diamondbacks will put Ian Kennedy on the mound for this game in an attempt to evaluate their starting rotation. Kennedy has had a tough season with a 7-9 record and a 4.41 ERA. He is having a difficult time keeping control of his pitches, and he is also showing difficulty in getting his signs in from the catcher.
Padres starting pitcher Kevin Correia has been a surprise to MLB betting experts this season. He has a 10-8 record with a 4.82 ERA. If Correia could get off to better starts in games, he could very well be a 15-game winner each season. It takes Correia an inning or two to get really rolling, and if a team gets to him in the early innings then it can be a short night for the San Diego starter.
The Diamondbacks have fallen below the level of playing for pride this season. They are definitely in a rebuilding phase, and the evaluation of new talent has taken a toll on the team’s record the past few weeks. More than likely, the D-Backs will come out next season with a very different starting pitching rotation as there are few starters on the roster worth keeping.
The Padres want to keep rolling right on into the playoffs. They are taking a look at their entire roster and trying to put together the best possible line-up to challenge in the playoffs. This Padre team has been one of the better teams in recent years, and they could be gearing up for a good playoff run. So, don’t look for many minor leaguers on the field for the Padres. The pedal is down and San Diego is blazing right towards the playoffs.
Pick: San Diego Padres 6-2
