The San Diego Padres (20-25, 11-14 home) continue their weekend series against the Boston Red Sox (25-20, 10-9 away) in the second game of a three-game interleague series. Boston took the opener on Friday night, dropping the Padres 6-1.
The first pitch of Saturday’s contest is at 10:10 p.m. EST inside Petco Park in San Diego, California. San Diego is the betting favorite (-130 moneyline), and the over/under total is eight runs.
What to Know – Boston Red Sox
Boston rides a three-game winning streak into the weekend after losing six of seven contests. The Red Sox have enjoyed early success this season and sit in fourth place in the competitive AL East.
Left-hander Chris Sale (3-2, 5.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) gets the nod on the mound for Boston. The seven-time All-Star appears to have turned his game around this month after a tough April. In two starts in May, Sale has allowed four earned runs over 14.0 innings, scattering ten hits, walking two, and striking out 19 batters.
The Red Sox are second in the majors hitting .271 as a team and scoring 5.6 runs per game. Boston’s pitching staff ranks 26th in the MLB with a 4.91 team earned run average.
The bat of Rafael Devers has been the catalyst to the success of Boston’s offense. Devers leads the team with 13 home runs and 44 runs driven in. Rookie Masataka Yoshida is second on the team with 26 RBIs and a .299 batting average in his first season of MLB play.
What to Know – San Diego Padres
San Diego has lost three straight and won just once in their last nine games. The Padres have fallen below .500 and find themselves in fourth place in the NL West, 8.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Joe Musgrove (1-1, 6.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) gets the call on the hill for the Padres. The 30-year-old began his season late as he recovered from a foot injury. Musgrove has made four starts, logging 19.0 innings while surrendering 14 earned runs, 23 hits, eight walks, and 19 strikeouts.
On offense, the Padres are dead last in the league batting .225 as a team and averaging 3.8 runs per game. The pitching staff for San Diego is 12th in the MLB sporting a 4.01 team ERA.
Juan Soto has seven home runs and 20 RBIs, both team-highs, while Xander Bogaerts is hitting a team-best .268 with 25 runs scored. Fernando Tatis Jr. is batting .282 with six home runs and 13 RBIs after missing the first 20 games of the season.
The Pick is In
San Diego is a heavy favorite, and we just don’t agree with Vegas. Boston is on a hot streak, and the recent success of Sale on the mound gives us confidence that the Red Sox can pick up another win on the road. Pick Boston with confidence.
The Pick: Boston Red Sox ML
