The Arizona Diamondbacks split its opening series against the Dodgers on the road, which is a sign of good things to come for the youthful D-Backs.
Arizona heads to San Diego, who split its opener against the Rockies at home, which isn't as impressive given the lofty goals for the Friars in 2023. Are the two teams as far apart as the preseason predictions may have thought?
Let's try and capture the betting market and find the best bet for this Monday night showdown:
Diamondbacks vs. Padres odds, run line and total
Diamondbacks vs. Padres prediction and pick
I like the Diamondbacks as underdogs in this matchup, mainly as a fade against Padres lefty hander Ryan Weathers. After spending most of the 2021 season in San Diego with middling results, a 5.32 ERA in 30 big league appearances, Weathers couldn't stick in 2022 amidst injuries.
The Padres starter made 31 appearances with the team's minor league affiliate and posted a 6.73 ERA in the process, not something that is exciting the big league club heading into this season, but will start in the rotation with a chance to compete for a back-end rotation job.. While Arizona had a slow start at the plate against an elite Dodgers pitching staff, the team had the second lowest on-base percentage through the first series, the team made up for it on the base paths and in the field, top 10 in base running and defensive stats.
Weathers is a clear fade candidate heading into this season while the Diamondbacks look to be more of a playoff contender than many thought, based on the early returns of the season.
I'll grab the Diamondbacks at an underdog price against Weathers.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.