Padres vs. Giants MLB Best Bets for Tuesday (Archive)
It has been no Fernando Tatis, no problem for the San Diego Padres so far this season. Despite being without their best player—and one of the top young players in MLB—with an injury that will keep him out the first few months, San Diego has gotten off to a fast start under new manager Bob Melvin.
After an opening day loss, San Diego has run off four straight wins, including Monday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The Padres now have the best record in baseball and the best run differential in the National League (tied for second-best in MLB) at +11.
The Giants are 2-2 after Monday’s 4-2 loss to San Diego. They are looking to repeat as National League West champions and find themselves in third place, a game behind the surprising Colorado Rockies.
Which way to lean at the best sportsbooks? Here is all you need to know for your MLB picks.
San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – 09:45 PM EDT at Oracle Park
Boost from Pitching
The Padres have gotten off to a fast start thanks to one of the best pitching staff in MLB for the first week of the season. Through the first series, a total of 14 pitchers in MLB had gone six or more innings in a start, and three of them were San Diego starters. The Padres had pitchers do it on back-to-back-to-back days, something they only did four times all last year.
The Padres relievers have also given San Diego a lift, including a win in an unexpected bullpen game on Sunday after starter Blake Snell was scratched due to discomfort.
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San Diego’s offense has also been able to make up for the absence of Tatis in the early going. Jurickson Profar is an unexpected source of power. After hitting four home runs all last year, he has an MLB leading two in four games this season and also leads baseball with seven RBI after hitting a grand slam on Sunday.
The Padres are also working to produce runs, with the expectation that they’ll have to make up for a power void until Tatis returns. Late spring acquisition Luke Voit leads MLB with eight walks, and the Padres are taking the extra base and looking for opportunities to scratch out runs when the long ball fails them.
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San Diego will start Yu Darvish in game two against the Giants. Darvish was pulled from a no-hitter after hitting his pitch count on opening day, taking a no-decision in a game San Diego eventually lost, through no fault of Darvish.
Early-Season Setbacks
Last season, the Giants came out of nowhere to win 107 games and the West Division, as the favored Dodgers and Padres both dealt with injury problems. San Francisco’s run of good health appears to be in danger of running out, as the Giants have had plenty of issues in the season’s first week.
LaMonte Wade Jr. is on the injured list, and the outfielder hopes to start running soon. In addition, third baseman Wilmer Flores is out with a personal matter.
“He’s going through a difficult time off the field, and we’re respecting that,” manager Gabe Kapler said.
The Giants are also looking at some holes in the pitching staff. John Brebbia is out on bereavement leave, and Monday’s starter, Tyler Rogers, is about to depart on paternity leave.
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The absences allowed San Francisco to take a look at 22-year-old outfielder Heliot Ramos, who had two hits in his MLB debut over the weekend. It’s not clear if he’ll have room on the big league roster once the various leaves are complete, but he’s on his way to earning a spot.
San Francisco will get its first look at Alex Cobb. The Giants signed the right-hander to a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason. He was 8-3 in 18 starts with the Angels last year, his first winning season since 2017.
The Picks
The opening game of the series featured some frigid weather that San Francisco is known for. There could be more of the same on Tuesday night as temperatures will start in the 50s and head for the 40s as the game goes on. That’s good news for the team with the better pitching.
Following the MLB odds, look for the Padres to get to Cobb early and rely on Darvish and the pen to shut down the Giants.
MLB Pick: Padres (-104) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
MLB Pick: Under 8 Runs (-130) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.