San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres odds, picks and predictions
The San Francisco Giants (0-0) open the season against the San Diego Padres (1-1) on Thursday. The NL West rivals meet at Petco Park with 1st pitch scheduled for a 4:10 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Giants vs. Padresodds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Padres won last year's series 8-5
By many accounts, San Diego underplayed its talent level in going 82-80 a year ago. The Padres, now several pieces lighter after shedding salary, placed 3rd in the NL West, 3 games ahead of San Francisco.
The Giants went 79-83 last season. They were quite good May-June, going 35-20 with a run differential to match. But San Francisco faded down the stretch, especially late. They went just 9-19 after Sept. 1.
Thursday's game marks the Giants' season opener. The Friars split 2 feature games against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20-21 in Seoul, South Korea.
Giants at Padres projected starters
Logan Webb vs Yu Darvish
Webb went 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA last season. He logged a 1.07 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 in 216 IP last season.
- Owns a tidy 3.07 ERA across the last 3 seasons (92 games)
- Faced San Diego just once last season, allowing 1 run in 9 IP
- Struggled in spring training, allowing 37 hits and 26 ER in 21 1/13 IP
Darvish went 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA last season. He notched a 1.3 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 9.3 K/9 across 136 1/3 IP.
- Started March 20 game vs. Dodgers in South Korea: went 3 2/3 IP, allowing 1 unearned run on 2 H with 3 BB and 3 K
- Pitched 12 IP against the Giants in 2023: allowed 8 R on 12 H
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Giants at Padres odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 10:45 9.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Giants -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Padres -115 (bet $100 to win $115)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Giants -1.5 (+210) | Padres +1.5 (-170)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Giants at Padres picks and predictions
Prediction
Giants 4, Padres 3
Moneyline
The Giants are a decent futures play in 2024, and Webb on the mound puts a good foot forward for the visitors. Plus the Giants banged the ball around pretty good in Cactus League play. Their .817 OPS ranked 3rd in MLB batting.
San Diego has to deal with the baseball rarity of multi-day travel and extra off days.
BET SAN FRANCISCO (-105).
Run line/Against the spread
PASS: Peg the ML as having the best leverage in this matchup.
Over/Under
The Under has cashed in 5 straight San Francisco-San Diego meetings and is the slight lean here.
The pitching starts at (mostly) square one for both sides. Rotations are at the top and bullpens are fresh. Mix in a weather report that calls for a double-digit win blowing in from left, and the low side is the way to go.
BACK THE UNDER 7.5 (-110).
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