Updated August 31, 2023By Dean Etheridge
The San Diego Padres meet the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park for a four-match mini-series starting tonight. The playoffs look long gone for the Padres, but the Giants are in Wild Card territory. Here we look ahead to the series and tell you the best bets in our latest MLB betting picks.
What; 2023 MLB
Who; San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants
Where; Petco Park, San Diego, California
When; Thursday, August 31st, 2023
Time; 9.40 pm ET
The Padres have had a season to forget in 2023. It’s been a spectacular fall from grace for San Diego, who made it to the National League Championship Series last year, even defeating the Dodgers en route!
As for the Giants, they have it all to play for. Okay, along with the Diamondbacks, the Giants have been blown away by the Dodgers in the NL West. But there’s still a battle taking place for a Wild Card, and the Giants are in the mix.
But as things stand, only one of the Giants or the Diamondbacks would get the Wild Card, meaning any mistakes made during the season run-in could be pivotal.
At the moment, in betting to make the playoffs with BetOnline, the Giants are -135 yes and +105 no. The Diamondbacks are +115 yes and -145 no (that’s with BetUS). The odds on both franchises are telling us the best MLB betting sites think it’s not a done deal that either will still be in action when the postseason begins on October 3rd.
Betting to win the 2023 World Series
It won’t come as a surprise to see that the best MLB World Series betting sites don’t give either the Padres or the Giants much chance of winning the 2023 World Series.
The Padres are +12500, and the Giants are +3300. That puts both franchises some distance behind favorites, the Atlanta Braves, who are +300, and the LA Dodgers, who are +400. The Padres are as big as +1800 just to make it to the playoffs.
Padres vs. Giants Betting
The betting in this match is close. The Padres start as the favorites at -125, with the Giants at +105.
On the handicap spread, the Padres are at +160 from -1.5, with the Giants at -180. Finally, on the over/under spread, over 8.5 is -120, with under 8.5 at -120. Our MLB betting table odds are from the best baseball betting sportsbooks. You can read more about these sites on our best online sportsbook reviews page.
Can the Padres finish the season strongly?
The Padres sit in a disappointing fourth place in the NL East. They’re a long way behind the Diamondbacks in third place and a long way clear of the Rockies, who sit bottom.
Their win percentage this year is just .463, which is way off the .549 they finished on in 2022.
They’ve just lost yet another series, losing the deciding match against the Cardinals 5-4 at the Busch Stadium, and this after leading 4-3 going into the final innings. It’s like nothing they do goes right at the moment.
They need to up their game. This season is gone. But they can still finish it strongly, and start 2024 on the front foot. Their defeat to the Cardinals last night showed that they are still fighting. And on another night, they would have won that match and the series.
Giants suffer a setback at home to the Reds!
As for the Giants, they beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their mini-series, but losing the final match at home 4-1 wasn’t in the script.
The Giants still sit second in the NL West, but their win percentage is .519, with the Diamondbacks sitting just behind them at .515.
The Diamondbacks lost their recent series 3-0 to the Dodgers, so last night’s final match against the Reds was an opportunity for the Giants to extend their lead, which they completely blew.
With things close between the Giants and the Diamondbacks, Gabe Kapler knows they can’t afford many losses like this. It was a bad defeat. And when it comes to getting Wild Card berths, it could come back to haunt the Giants.
Our Picks
In their last ten matches, the Padres are 3-7, the Giants are 5-5. At Petco Park, the Padres are 35-33, so they are stronger at home than a lot of sides in similar positions. On the road, the Giants are 31-33, which isn’t the best road record.
We’re going to go for a home win for the Padres for our pick. Okay, so it goes against the grain. But we’re looking at the form of the Padres at home, and the form of the Giants on the road, and we think this looks like the best value pick.
Padres Win and Cover SpreadPadres vs. Giants
+160
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We’re also looking at backing overs in the total points market. A lot of the recent defeats for the Padres have been big ones. So if our pick on the Padres to win goes down, there is a good chance that the overs will come in, and at the very least cover our loss.
Hopefully, the Padres will win, and they will win a high-scoring match. Bringing both our picks home.
Overs 8.5 in Total PoitntsPadres vs. Giants
-120
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Summary
Event
San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants
Location
Petco Park,San Diego,California
Starting on
August 31, 2023
Ending on
August 31, 2023
About the Author
Dean Etheridge
Over the last 10 years, Dean has sharpened his expertise in crafting and revising content for his soccer and cricket betting platforms. Driven by his passion for sports betting and writing, he embarked on a journey of writing about sports wagering.
Although Dean’s preferred areas of focus are the English Premier League and cricket, his extensive sports knowledge enables him to tackle nearly any sport.
Gone are the days of traveling the world to witness events like FIFA World Cups and Ashes cricket, as Dean now prefers the comfort of his own home while enjoying sports.
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