The Arizona Diamondbacks (35-77, 14-42 away) and the San Diego Padres (63-49, 37-23 home) battle in the final game of a three-game National League West series on Sunday afternoon. Arizona won the opener, 8-5, before the Padres bounced back to take game two, 6-2.
The first pitch of the rubber match is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EST inside Petco Park in San Diego, CA. According to oddsmakers, the Padres are favored (-210), and the run total over-under is at 8.5.
What to Know – Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona continues to be in rebuild mode as the Diamondbacks are on their way to their second-straight losing season. The Diamondbacks sport the worst record in baseball and the second-worst road record. Arizona sits in the last place in the NL West.
The expected starter for the visitors is left-hander Madison Bumgarner (6-6, 4.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP). Bumgarner’s been solid on the mound in his last four starts, lowering his ERA from 5.73 to 4.57 with a 2-1 record. MadBum held the San Francisco Giants to one run over 7.0 innings of work in his last outing, allowing six hits with four strikeouts.
The Diamondbacks’ lineup ranks 21st in the MLB in on-base percentage (.309) and 27th in slugging percentage (.374). Arizona traded their best offensive player, Eduardo Escobar, to the Brewers, putting a big hole in Arizona’s lineup. Second baseman Ketel Marte and catcher Carson Kelly have shown promise at the plate, but both have missed significant chunks of time this year.
What to Know – San Diego Padres
The Padres currently hold the second wild-card spot in the NL with a narrow 2.5 lead over the Cincinnati Reds. San Diego has a favored schedule over the next two weeks and will look to increase that lead in the standings. The Padres are third in the NL West, 7.5 games behind the Giants.
Southpaw Blake Snell (5-4, 5.24 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) is penciled in to take the mound for the Padres. Snell rebounded after a shaky outing to hold the Athletics to one run over 5.0 innings. The 28-year scattered six hits with six strikeouts in the victory.
San Diego has one of the top offenses in the NL with a .329 on-base percentage and a .412 slugging percentage. This season second baseman Jake Cronenworth is setting career-best in home runs (15) and RBIs (51). Third baseman Manny Machado has had to step up in the absence of Franando Tatis Jr., and the 29-year old has hit 21 home runs and driven in 77 runs.
The Pick is In
Both pitchers carry momentum into Sunday’s contest after solid outings their last time out. Bumgarner has been elite over the previous month and has shown no signs of regression.
Snell’s had an up and down season, but the lefty should be able to easily navigate the D-Backs lineup. We have the total of this game reaching six or seven runs.
The Pick: San Diego/Arizona UNDER 8.5
