The San Diego Padres enter Tuesday’s series opener on the road against the Texas Rangers in control of a National League Wild Card position and look to bolster their record even further.
San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers (-118, 7.5)
Starting at pitcher for the Padres is Dylan Cease, who has good advanced numbers but has both been shaky this season and enters this start in bad form, having allowed at least three runs in seven of his past nine starts.
Cease is 7-6 with a 3.84 ERA, but his fielding independent is 3.05 while getting 11.4 strikeouts to just 2.7 walks per nine innings, which is a career low in walks.
The Rangers counter with Nathan Eovaldi on ten mound to start, who’s command has been shaky with his 3.2 walks per nine innings being the second-most for him since 2013.
Overall, Eovaldi has a 3.45 ERA and 1.1 home runs allowed per nine innings but has to face a Padres lineup that has feasted on right-handed pitching all season long.
The Padres lead all MLB teams with a .277 batting average against right-handed pitchers, which is more than 12 points higher than any other team in the league while their .280 road batting average is also the best in the league.
Neither bullpen has been impressive with the Rangers being the shakiest of the two with a 4.54 ERA, which ranks 26th in the league while the Padres’ 3.97 ERA is 16th.
With a pair of big-name pitchers that have had plenty of struggles in 2024 coupled with the Padres ranking eighth in the league in road scoring with 4.8 runs per game, there will be offensive fireworks on this Fourth of July week in Arlington on Tuesday.
The Play: Padres vs. Rangers Over 7.5 Runs
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