Padres vs. Diamondbacks prediction and odds for Saturday, Aug. 12 (Back Arizona early)

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped their series opener with the San Diego Padres on Friday night, but they have a great chance to bounce back on Saturday. 

Ace Zac Gallen (11-5, 3.37 ERA) is on the mound for Arizona against veteran Rich Hill (7-11, 5.09 ERA) who was acquired by the Padres at the trade deadline. 

Ryne Nelson was rocked for Arizona last night, but Gallen should steady the boat in the early innings on Saturday. 

The D-Backs have been struggling on offense over the last 15 days, ranking in the bottom five in the league in OPS, but there may be value in betting on them early in this game. 

Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for the Diamondbacks-Padres game on Aug. 12: 

Padres vs. Diamondbacks odds, run line and total

Padres vs. Diamondbacks prediction and pick

Even though Arizona has struggled on offense, I think the team can get to Hill in this game. 

While the veteran hasn’t been bad in 2023, he also hasn’t been great, allowing at least two earned runs in 11 consecutive starts. 

That bodes well for taking Arizona in the first five innings, especially since Gallen is on the mound. 

The D-Backs All-Star has pitched into the seventh inning in five of his last seven starts, and he’s kept his ERA below 4.00 since mid-April. 

Arizona has lost nine straight games, crushing its hopes at a playoff spot in the process, and I want to avoid this team’s bullpen if I can. 

The D-Backs enter this game 25th in Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA. 

With that in mind, I still think Gallen is the starter to back, even if the Padres end up pulling out a win in the later innings. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.