Phillies vs. Padres MLB Best Bets for Thursday (Archive)
The San Diego Padres went to Philadelphia May 17 through 19 and took two of three from the Phillies. The Padres were 10 games over .500 and two games back in the National League West. The Phillies were two games under .500 and appeared to be mired among the pretenders in the NL East.
The two teams open a four-game series in San Diego on Thursday, and it’s safe to say that both of them are much happier with where they are now. Let’s see what the MLB odds tell us at the best sportsbooks and break down this game!
Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Diego Padres
Thursday, June 23, 2022 – 09:40 PM EDT at Petco Park
San Diego is on a three-game winning streak and has moved into a virtual tie with the Dodgers for first place in the West. For the first Phillies series, manager Bob Melvin was not with the team, recovering from a medical procedure. The Padres just got him back after a second prolonged absence. He rejoined the team after missing 11 games due to COVID protocols.
The Phillies finally lost patience with their slow start, firing manager Joe Girardi on June 3. Philly has been a different team since, winning 14 of its first 16 under interim skipper Rob Thompson before losing its last three.
Getting Back to Winning Ways
The Phillies had won their first five series under Thompson before getting swept by the Rangers in a brief two-game trip to Texas. The team isn’t worried that it has fallen back to old habits, however.
“You've got to take the same approach we took in the first 16 games,” Thomson said. “Just prepare and compete and bring energy every day
Kyle Schwarber has been hot at the plate for the Phillies, reaching base in a career-high 26 straight games. He’s hit nine homers over that stretch as well and has almost as many runs (24) and walks (23) as strikeouts (26) during the streak. The Phillies lineup got another boost when Bryce Harper returned after missing three games with a finger problem.
Left-hander Ranger Suarez will get the start for Thursday’s series opener. He is 5-4 with a 4.43 ERA on the year. Suarez has struggled with command and reduced velocity on his slider for much of the season, although he’s gone 5.2 and 7 innings in two of his three June starts. Still, he’s walked seven and given up seven runs over his last 10 innings, so there’s still work to be done.
Bad, Meet Worse
The Padres got back Melvin, who has missed 20 games with his two health scares this year, on Wednesday. Bench coach Ryan Christenson, who would have been
"It feels great to be back. That was very unsettling to sit around like that and have to watch games for that long and
While the Padres welcomed back their skipper, they were without one of their top players. All-Star shortstop Manny Machado has missed three straight games with a sprained ankle. Melvin said Machado was “walking around” and likely won’t have to go to the injured list, although he’s still day-to-day as Philadelphia comes to town.
Also sidelined by COVID protocols was ace starting pitcher Joe Musgrove. The right-hander was cleared on Tuesday and will start the opener against the Phillies. He is 8-0 with a 1.59 ERA. It will have been exactly a week since he last pitched.
“I kept everything on routine, pretty much essentially the same stuff I do here without actually coming to the field. I feel good. I feel strong, ready to go,” he said.
How to Bet This Game
Even with a new manager and winning attitude in Philly, the Padres have the better record, the home field
MLB Pick: Padres (-141) with BetOnline
MLB Pick: Under 7 (+100) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*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.