Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres
MLB Prediction: San Diego +115 odds (May 3rd 2013)
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I cashed a winner with the underdog Padres as a free play yesterday, and I’ll go right back to the well on Friday, as I believe the oddsmakers have once again missed the mark on this surging club.

San Diego has now won six of its last eight games, and checks into Friday’s contest having won four in a row here at Petco Park. There’s still plenty of ground to make up in the N.L. West, and the division really is wide open.

The D’Backs are one of the teams the Padres are chasing, and this weekend series gives them an opportunity to close the gap.

Arizona limps into this series having dropped three in a row at home against the Giants – a disheartening series to say the least, given how well Arizona was playing heading into that key division set.

Wade Miley will get the call for the Snakes tonight. He’s been excellent so far this season, but some regression should be right around the corner. Note that while Miley has posted a spotless 2-0 record and an ERA just north of two, the D’Backs have still managed to lose two of his last three outings, with both of those setbacks coming on the road. He’s won only once in three career starts here in San Diego.

Jason Marquis will counter for the Pads’. His overall numbers don’t properly reflect the way he’s pitched so far, as he endured one miserable outing in Milwaukee. Outside of that he’s been solid, allowing two earned runs or less in his other four starts. Note that Marquis has faced the D’Backs once in each of the last two seasons, posting a perfect 2-0 team record (one start was with the Nationals in 2011).

While both bullpens have performed well, I give the Padres the edge in that department. Note that their relief corps has posted a terrific 2.28 ERA here at Petco Park this season. Get all of Sean Murphy’s MLB predictions for May 3rd 2013 on our expert sports picks page at Touthouse.com

Offensively, the Padres are finding ways to manufacture runs right now, and getting clutch hits when they need them, just as we saw in yesterday’s come-from-behind win over the Cubs (granted they were helped out by some poor Cubs defense). Look for another opportunistic effort against Miley and the D’Backs pitching staff tonight as the Padres keep it rolling for at least one more game. Take San Diego (1*).

San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
MLB Pick: Cubs -142 odds (May 2nd 2013)
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The Cubs have taken two of three at home against the Padres, and they wrap up this four game series Thursday at Wrigley.

Travis Wood will toe the rubber for the home team, and he’s coming off a win his last time out. Wood (2-1, 2.25 ERA) allowed two runs on just three hits over six innings in a 3-2 win over the Fish in Miami.

Wood has been a better pitcher during the day, putting up better numbers in the afternoon than he has under the lights at night. He’s posted a 3.89 ERA in 28 starts in day games since 2010, significantly better than the 4.52 ERA at night.

The Padres will send Eric Stults to the mound, and he’s coming off a terrible outing. Stults (2-2, 5.67 ERA) allowed five runs on four hits in just four innings, and didn’t factor in the decision in an 8-7 ballgame that the Padres rallied to win over the Giants. He wasn’t as fortunate in his previous start, as he gave up five runs on eight hits over seven innings, and got tagged with a loss as the Padres fell 5-0 to San Francisco.

Stults has only had one start at Wrigley in recent seasons, and that didn’t go well. He would take the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings.

The Cubs should be able to get to the left-hander here at Wrigley on Thursday, and I’m expecting another blowout win for the Cubbies.

Take Chicago.

MLB Picks: April 29th 2013
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
Prediction: Cubs -152 odds
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The Cubs (9-15) will host the Padres (9-15) on Monday night at Wrigley. Chicago has actually looked a lot better this season than they did a year ago. While they have a losing record, they have played some stiff competition early this season, and against a weaker Marlins team, they have just taken 3-of-4 in Miami.

Jeff Samardzija will toe the rubber on Monday night, and he’ll be looking to put an end to a four game losing streak. Samardzija (1-4, 3.30 ERA) has pitched quite well this season, and deserves better than his 1-4 record. He tossed six innings allowing one run on seven hits in a 1-0 loss to Cincy his last time out.

The Padres will send Clayton Richard to the mound at Wrigley, and the left-hander was rocked in his last start. Richard (0-2, 7.04 ERA) only went 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits. Richard gave up 31 home runs in 33 starts last season, and that’s a scary thought for the southpaw heading into Wrigley.

The Padres are coming off a three game sweep of the Giants, and they have won four in a row at home. They haven’t been nearly as successful on the road though, with a record of 4-8 this year.

This is a favorable matchup for the Cubs, and the price is more than reasonable to back the home team with superior pitching.

Take Chicago. Be sure to take advantage of all of Jesse Schule’s expert MLB picks on April 29th 2013 at Touthouse.com

MLB Picks: August 19th 2012
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres
Pick: San Francisco Giants -130
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The San Francisco Giants go for the sweep Sunday over the San Diego Padres. I believe they get it behind Ryan Vogelsong, who is one of the most underrated starters in the league. San Francisco has not missed Melky Cabrera one bit, scoring a combined 18 runs in winning the first two games of this series.

Vogelsong is 10-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.167 WHIP in 22 starts this season. In his last start against San Diego, the right-hander gave up just one earned run over seven innings of a 7-1 Giants victory.

Clayton Richard has been decent this season, going 9-12 with a 3.91 ERA over 25 starts. He has struggled this season against San Francisco, going 0-3 with a 7.64 ERA in three starts. Richard has allowed 15 earned runs over 17 2/3 innings against the Giants this year.

The Giants are 6-0 in their last 6 road games vs. a left-handed starter. San Francisco is 14-4 in Vogelsong’s last 18 starts overall, including 9-1 in his last 10 starts as a favorite. The Padres are 0-6 in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. San Diego is 3-13 in Richard’s last 16 starts as an underdog of +110 to +150. Bet the Giants Sunday.

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