Padres vs. Giants MLB Preview and Best Bet

The Giants and Padres entered this week’s National League West showdown series heading in opposite directions. San Francisco returned home and is on an eight-game winning streak and has won ten of the last 11.

The Giants didn't lose during the six-game road trip, sweeping the Rockies and Cubs, then blew out the Padres in game one of the four-game set, which allowed San Francisco to clinch a spot in the postseason. They are the first team in baseball to do so.

The Padres, meanwhile, were swept by the Dodgers over the weekend and have lost four straight and five of their last six to fall a half-game out of the final Wild Card spot, behind the Cincinnati Reds.

San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 - 09:45 PM EDT at Oracle Park

Tuesday will be the second game of a four-game series that is crucial if the Padres want to continue playing into October so let's check the MLB odds for this on.

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Brutal Schedule

The weekend’s series with the Dodgers started an absolutely brutal schedule for the Padres the rest of the way. Through the end of the season, the Padres play 22 straight games against teams with winning records, with 16 of them coming on the road.

That includes six in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, seven in San Francisco and another three at home against the Giants, three against the NL East-leading Braves and three at St. Louis.

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The stretch didn’t start well, with two shutouts and three losses to the Dodgers and the Giants loss. The Padres were blanked three times in the last five games.

While the offense tries to find solutions, San Diego will start retread Jake Arrieta on Tuesday. Signed off the street after being released by the Cubs in August, Arrieta is 5-12 with a 7.04 ERA.

In his first start since two weeks on the injured list with hamstring trouble, Arrieta allowed just four baserunners in five innings to the Astros. However, three of them ended up scoring.

Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta #49 of the Padres will start on the mound this evening and look for the upset. Justin Edmonds/Getty Images/AFP

Hot and Healthy

The Giants have won eight straight games and been dominant at the plate. San Francisco scored six or more runs in all eight games and topped 10 runs in three of them.

Making the performance even more impressive is the fact the Giants’ lineup has been short-handed over that span, but the rich are getting richer, as many of the players are returning to the fold.

The Giants got back Austin Slater and Wilmer Flores over the weekend. Slater missed time with a concussion and Flores a hamstring injury. Flores paid immediate dividends, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in his first game back.

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Shortstop Brandon Crawford has also been battling a sore wrist and missed time over the weekend, but he returned for the start of the series with the Padres. Manager Gabe Kapler said Crawford could have played over the weekend but was held out as a precautionary measure.

With two starters out with injury, Tuesday is the only game in the series where the Giants’ pitching plans are solid. Anthony DeSclafani will get the ball, sandwiched between a pair of scheduled bullpen games for San Francisco. He’s 11-6 on the year with a 3.33 ERA.

He’s lasted five innings in just two of his last seven starts, so the bullpen may not get the night off it is hoping for. He’s also given up three or more runs in six of his last nine outings.

The Pick

The Giants have wrapped up a playoff spot, but they still have work to do. The Dodgers are just three games back in the National League West. So don’t look for San Francisco to clear the bench and rest the starters just yet.

The Giants have all the momentum and a huge edge in the pitching matchup so consider them for your MLB pick in this game.

MLB Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.