As the Los Angeles Dodgers flounder — for the reigning World Series champions, a loss to the woeful Colorado Rockies and a blown nine-game division lead certainly counts as that — the NL West is wide-open for the taking. However, neither the San Diego Padres nor San Francisco Giants have been able to take advantage; San Diego got swept by the Dodgers and the Giants are just 9-19 since the All-Star break.
After San Francisco won the first game of the teams’ three-game home series last night, Game 2 will take place tonight at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Giants will start Kai-Wei Teng, while Nick Pivetta will toe the rubber for the Padres.
Let’s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres prediction, preview
These pitchers actually faced off last Wednesday, in the fifth game of San Francisco’s seven-game skid. Pivetta was dominant that night, completing 6.2 innings and giving up just four hits and one earned run, while Teng had a rough outing, giving up six runs on four hits and four walks before getting yanked after just 53 pitches and five outs. His bullpen didn’t do him any favors, either; Joey Lucchesi gave up a trio of runs in his one inning of work, and the game finished an ugly 11-1. It marked one of two times since the All-Star break that the Giants have given up 10 or more runs, as well as one of two times in that span that San Diego has scored 10 runs.
There shouldn’t be much of a reason for San Francisco to believe in Teng. The 26-year-old Taiwanese right-hander threw 11.0 innings last season, pitching to a 9.82 ERA, and has a 9.90 mark so far in 2025. Still, his long relief appearance in a 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals on August 8 — in which he gave up just three hits across five scoreless innings — gives the Giants reason for confidence. He was in elite form prior to his call-up: in the four starts he’s made for Triple-A Sacramento this season, he’s pitched 19.2 innings, conceding just one earned run, walking seven, and striking out 35. He’s been adept at avoiding hard hits this season, thanks to a fastball with a 93rd-percentile spin rate, and the Padres have been soft-contact kings all season.
While San Diego is a good matchup for Teng, I expect him to be out-dueled by Pivetta, who’s had a 1.73 ERA since June 25, completing the sixth inning in eight of his nine starts across that span. 2025 has been by far the finest season of the 32-year-old’s MLB career, as he trails only Tarik Skubal in pitching run value and his four-seamer has been the second-most valuable pitch in baseball this season. He’s not a perfect pitcher — his average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit percentage, and ground-ball rate all rank below the median — but San Francisco, too, has made lots of soft contact all season so isn’t well-suited to take advantage.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 8 (-116)
Despite ranking ninth overall in OPS since the All-Star break, the Padres have slipped back to 13th in the month of August and posted just a .626 mark across their four-game losing streak. Pivetta’s dominance speaks for itself, and the Giants are just 20th in second-half OPS.
Strong Lean: Nick Pivetta to Record a Win (+100)
Pivetta has recorded wins in three of his last five starts and seven of his 13 at home overall. Petco Park has been one of the league’s most pitcher-friendly venues this season, and Pivetta has recorded a 2.41 ERA on friendly turf.
