All 30 teams are in action during the Saturday MLB slate, and the San Diego Padres look to avenge yesterday’s 6-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals. It wasn’t the result many expected, but the visitors got the better of the Friars at Petco Park. Can San Diego even the series at 1-1 tonight?
Here’s a Padres vs. Royals prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s 7:15 p.m. EST matchup.
Padres vs. Royals prediction, preview
San Diego Padres
The Padres won their 40th game a couple of nights ago but are now 40-35 overall and a dismal 3-7 over their last 10 contests. After losing their last three series, San Diego must recapture some momentum tonight before they find themselves in danger of slipping to fourth place in a competitive NL West.
The Padres’ offense remains 13th in AVG and 19th in runs, but they did move up one spot to 19th in OPS last night. The Royals’ stable of pitchers is one of the MLB’s top units, so banking on high-scoring affairs in this series may not be the most prudent move. Still, they scored five runs yesterday behind a multi-hit game with a homer from Manny Machado, as well as a three-hit performance by Xander Bogaerts. Fernando Tatis Jr. reached base with two walks but otherwise went hitless, so his production will prove crucial to getting back in the win column tonight.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals successfully worked their way back to the .500 mark last night as they sit 38-38 this year. They remain 4-6 across their last 10 outings, but the good news for Kansas City is that spots two through four in the AL Central are all essentially neck-and-neck as just 0.5 games separate themselves, the Guardians, and the Twins.
Friday’s 11-hit affair was more of an exception than the norm for the Royals. Yes, Maikel Garcia and Jonathan India each tallied three hits apiece while Bobby Witt Jr. launched a home run, so there were encouraging signs of life with the offense. The offense still sits 15th in AVG but 25th in OPS and second-to-last in runs this year, though. The team lives on pitching success, but banking on low-scoring games doesn’t feel like a recipe for much sustained winning in today’s hitter-friendly MLB.
Padres vs. Royals pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Padres as strong -163 favorites to win on the Moneyline. The visiting Royals are +133 this time to win outright with a run total of 7.5.
It’s Dylan Cease bump day for the Padres as the multi-time All-Star takes the mound. The right-hander’s numbers don’t look star-caliber with a 4.69 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, but his 105 strikeouts across just 80.2 innings show that his repertoire remains filthy as ever.
The Royals trot out Noah Cameron, a 25-year-old lefty with a fantastic 1.91 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in his seven starts this year. He’s not a strikeout pitcher with 32 in 42.1 innings, but the rookie southpaw limits excels just about everywhere else Kansas City could ask him to.
Cease’s over 6.5 strikeouts line looks intriguing at -140 odds, but I’m actually targeting under 3.5 strikeouts for Cameron instead. Neither of these teams go down swinging often as the Royals boast the second-fewest strikeouts and the Padres hold the third-best tally, but there’s still value here with plus-odds for Cameron’s under. His K/9 sits at just 6.80 and he threw three of fewer strikeouts in four of seven starts, so I like +120 odds on under 3.5 today.
