Believe it or not, the San Francisco Giants have the best record in the NL and will hope to continue their early-season success as they begin a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
It won't be an easy task, with San Diego sending All-Star Yu Darvish to the mound, and MLB betting lines have the Giants installed as +180 road underdogs while the Padres come back at -200.
Here our best free Giants vs. Padres picks and predictions for Friday, April 30, with the first pitch scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET
Giants vs Padres odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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MLB Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonWith Yu Darvish on the bump, San Diego opened -200 Thursday night at FanDuel, bottomed out at -172 this morning, and this evening peaked at -225, where the number rests at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Padres are seeing heavy moneyline action, at 87 percent of tickets and 91 percent of cash. The total dipped from 7.5 to 7 a couple of times and is now 7.5 (Under -124), with 56 percent of tickets/66 percent of money on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameGiants vs Padres betting preview
Starting pitchers
Logan Webb (1-1, 4.03 ERA): Webb looked a tad shaky in his first three starts of the season but is coming off his best outing, allowing three hits and striking out eight batters in seven scoreless innings versus the Marlins. The 24-year-old started 11 games last season, pitching to a 5.47 ERA with a WHIP of 1.56.
Yu Darvish (2-1, 2.27 ERA): Darvish has looked outstanding in his first season in San Diego pitching to a 0.85 WHIP with 37 strikeouts through 31 2-3 innings. The four-time All-Star is fresh off an impressive win against the Dodgers where he allowed four hits and fanned nine batters through seven innings of one-run ball.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Giants: Mike Yastrzemski RF (Out), Reyes Moronta RP (Out), Donovan Solano 2B (Out).
Padres: Matt Strahm RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 11-1 in the Padres' last 12 home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Padres.
Run line pick
The Giants were considered an afterthought before the season began but have stormed out to a 16-9 start and have won eight of their last 11 games.
The Padres made the postseason last year and the future looks bright for this talented team. They are 4-2 in their last six games and although they lost two of three against San Fran in the head-to-head earlier this month, the contest they won was with ace Yu Darvish on the mound.
Darvish was the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2020 and arrived in San Diego with big expectations. While he was lit up in the season opener, he has since been lights out, allowing just one in each of his last four starts. That includes the victory against the Giants, along with a pair of terrific outings against the reigning World Series champion Dodgers.
Despite the Giants' strong start, they have been below average at the plate, ranking 17th in the majors in scoring, with 4.16 runs per game, and 19th in batting average at .228. Although the Padres haven't been any better with 4.08 runs per game and a .236 BA, they have the more dangerous lineup on paper and have been hitting the ball much better recently.
Led by 22-year-old phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. (.455 BA with five homers and eight RBI over the last week) the Friars have plated at least five runs in each of their last five games and are fresh off a 12-run performance against the Diamondbacks.
Although Giants starter Logan Webb is one to watch for the future, at this point in his career he's nowhere near as good as Darvish. With the Padres 11-4 in the last 15 meetings between these NL West rivals, take them on the run line.
PREDICTION: San Diego -1.5 (+115)
Over/Under pick
Petco Park is known as an extreme pitcher's park and the numbers so far this year back that up, with contests in San Diego seeing an average total of just 6.77 runs per game.
It's no surprise that the Padres have gone 11-1 to the Under in their last 12 home games, while the Under is also 5-1-1 in the previous seven meetings between these teams in San Diego.
Darvish has been great, posting a 2.27 ERA and he was even better for the Cubbies last year with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts. Add in a strong San Diego bullpen that ranks sixth in the majors with an ERA of 3.07, and you have all the ingredients for another Under.
PREDICTION: Under 7.5 (-115)
Giants vs Padres betting card
- RL San Diego -1.5 (+115)
- Under 7.5 (-115)
Picks made on 4/30/2021 at 1:15 p.m. ET
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