With only a few weeks left in the MLB regular season, the San Diego Padres are fighting hard to secure their playoff positioning. They have a chance to steal the NL West from the Los Angeles Dodgers and will secure their spot in the Wild Card at a minimum if they can stay on pace. Taking care of these games against the Colorado Rockies will be of the utmost importance to their playoff chances.
The Padres enter as -272 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 8.5 runs. Let’s dig into a preview, prediction and best bet for this Rockies vs. Padres matchup.
Rockies at Padres prediction, preview
The good news for the Padres is that the Rockies are extremely beatable. With 17 losses more than the next-worst team, they’ve been a stepping stone for many teams this year. San Diego has three more games in this series after a 2-0 win on Thursday, a significant opportunity to gain ground on Los Angeles for the NL West and the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot while distancing themselves from the Mets.
Tanner Gordon, a 27-year-old rookie, will face the Padres. The owner of a 6.60 ERA across 60 innings this year, Gordon’s .312 expected batting average is one of the worst marks in the league. Unable to miss bats or avoid hard contact, it could be a long night against San Diego’s power bats.
Padres starter JP Sears has not fared much better. He owns a 5.01 ERA this year across starts with the Athletics and the Padres. The soft-tossing lefty has a 29.1% ground-ball rate, a third percentile mark. When you’re not striking guys out or getting ground balls, it’s easy for the damage to pile up.
With two struggling starters on the mound, the focus is on the first five innings. Smash the over here and don’t think twice.
