The Philadelphia Phillies head to sunny California for a three-set against the San Diego Padres this weekend.
Both of these teams have been struggling lately but oddsmakers are expecting the Friars to snap out of their funk, with MLB betting lines installing the home side as -225 favorites.
Here are our best free Phillies vs. Padres MLB picks and predictions for Friday, August 20, with the first pitch scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Phillies vs Padres game info
• Location: Petco Park, San Deigo, CA
• Date: Friday, August 20, 2021
• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• TV: MLBN, BSN, NBCSP
Phillies vs Padres odds
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Phillies vs Padres betting preview
Starting pitchers
Matt Moore (2-3, 6.07 ERA): The veteran left-hander has posted some pretty ugly numbers for Philadelphia, pitching to a 1.49 WHIP with an opponent batting average of .271 in 56 1-3 innings. That said, Moore is coming off a fantastic performance last week when he held the Reds without a hit over six innings.
Blake Snell (6-4, 4.80 ERA): The two-time All-Star has had mixed results in his first season in San Diego, pitching to a 1.56 WHIP with an opponent batting average of .246 across 101 1-3 innings. He has looked very sharp lately, allowing just three runs over 17 innings in his last three starts.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins 1B (Probable), Odubel Herrera OF (Questionable).
Padres: Jurickson Profar OF (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 20-8 in Padres' last 28 games as a home favorite. Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Padres.
Runline pick
Both of these teams are slumping right now, with the Padres losing seven of their last eight games and the Phillies dropping four in a row and going 2-7 in their previous nine contests.
That said, while the Padres' losses have come against some bad teams, the majority of those defeats came on the road, and with a 67-56 record, they are still one game ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot. At home, they have been very impressive, going 35-16 in their last 51 games.
The Phillies' funk, on the other hand, has dropped them from their perch atop the NL East and they now sit four games behind the Braves in the division while being five games behind the Padres in the Wild Card race.
The Phillies were hitting the ball very well in July but have cooled off and are batting an MLB-worst .199 with an OPS of .640 over the last 15 days. On the season, the Phillies are 17th in the majors with an OPS of .718, while the Padres are five spots ahead of them with an OPS of .740.
Philadelphia will give the ball to Matt Moore today. The left-hander was brutal for San Francisco in 2017 and even worse for Texas in 2018. After missing almost the entire 2019 season due to a meniscus injury, he went to Japan last year where he enjoyed success. But now that's back in the majors, he's looking like his old unreliable self, pitching to a 6.04 ERA and allowing opponents to hammer him for a .858 OPS in ten starts this year.
The Padres will send Blake Snell to the mound. While the former All-Star has been up-and-down with his new club, he's had more ups at home, going 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA and an OBA of .181 through nine starts. With nine of the Padres' last 10 wins coming by multiple runs, back them on the runline today.
PREDICTION: RL San Diego -1.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Neither team has impressed at the plate lately, but both of them have the bats to make some noise. While the Phillies have struggled at the dish over the last couple of weeks, that's been without Rhys Hopkins and his team-leading 68 RBI. But the hard-hitting first baseman is expected to return today and will give some added protection in the lineup to Bryce Harper.
The Padres got some great news recently with NL MVP favorite Fernando Tatis Jr. (34 home runs and an OPS of 1.042) returning to the team and he and Manny Machado give San Diego one of the best slugging duos in the majors.
That's bad news for a Phillies squad that has Moore starting and a mediocre bullpen behind him. As sharp as Moore looked in his last appearance, he has a track record of poor performances and the Over has cashed in seven of his 10 starts this season.
While Petco Park is friendly towards pitchers, there is some indication that oddsmakers might be over-estimating that effect lately, with the Padres going 16-7 O/U in their last 23 games at home. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 14-5-1 O/U in the previous 20 contests on the road and the Over has also cashed in 19 of the last 26 meetings between these teams in San Diego.
PREDICTION: Over 9 (-110)
Phillies vs Padres betting card
- RL San Diego -1.5 (-110)
- Over 9 (-110)
Picks made on 8/20/2021 at 10 a.m. ET
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