Diamondbacks vs Padres Prediction - MLB Picks 8/18/23

San Diego Padres (58-64) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (62-60)

Game Info: Friday, August 18, 2023 at 9:40 pm (Petco Park)

Seth Lugo (4-6) (4.16) vs Brandon Pfaadt (0-6) (6.91)

Betting Odds: San Diego Padres -175 / Arizona Diamondbacks +160 --- Over/Under: 8.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The San Diego Padres will host the Arizona Diamondbacks for game two of their divisional series this Friday from Petco Park.

Diamondbacks Preview & Projected Starter

Arizona enters at 62-60 after defeating San Diego. The Diamondbacks used a strong pitching effort to pick up their third straight win, and they’ll look to steal another in SD here. The Arizona offense is scoring 4.34 runs per game, while batting .257, with a .326 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 4.41 ERA, with a 1.34 WHIP.

Brandon Pfaadt (0-6, 6.91 ERA, 42 Ks) will get the ball for Arizona. The rookie pitcher managed to strike out a career high eight batters in his matchup with the Padres at home last week, while holding them to three runs through 5.2 innings. Pfaadt is still winless and walks into San Diego with an abysmal 6.91 ERA, so we may see some regression here against the stacked SD lineup.

DBacks Player Trends & Props

• Christian Walker was cooled off by San Diego in the series opener, but he’s totaled multiple bases in five of the last seven games, and he’s Arizona’s leader in home runs (28) and RBI (82).

• Corbin Carroll has scored a run in eight of the last ten games, and he’s posting nice splits of .270/21/59.

• Ketel Marte has collected a hit in five of the last eight games, and he’s first on the team in batting (.277) and hits (122), with nineteen homers and 62 RBI.

• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has recorded a hit in seven of the last ten games, and he’s posting a line of .258/19/64.

Padres Preview & Projected Starter

San Diego moved to 58-64 after losing to Arizona. The Padres couldn’t get anything going against Zac Gallen last night, and they’ll attempt to regroup here Friday. The San Diego offense is scoring 4.31 runs per game, while batting .228, with a .317 on-base percentage. The pitching staff carries a 3.76 ERA, with a 1.23 WHIP.

Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.16 ERA, 90 K) is set to start for San Diego. The eighth-year righty bounced back with a solid outing in Phoenix, holding the DBacks to two runs through five innings en route to a Pads win. Lugo has allowed two runs or less in six of his last eight starts, and he’ll look for more success against Arizona here at home.

Padres Player Trends & Props

• Juan Soto has only one hit over his last five games, but he still leads the Padres in home runs (24) and RBI (75), with 111 hits.

• Fernando Tatis has collected a hit in six of the last seven games, and he’s posting a solid line of .268/19/63.

• Xander Bogaerts has collected a hit in seven of the last nine games, and he leads the Pads in hits (119), while batting .270.

• Ha-Seong Kim brings an identical 7/10 hit trend in this matchup, and he leads SD in batting (.284), with 15 homers and 42 RBI.

• Manny Machado is second in the team in homers (21) and RBI (72).

Corey’s Free Pick

This is exactly what the San Diego lineup needs to get back on track. Arizona will be sending an inexperienced Brandon Pfaadt to the mound, and he’s been vulnerable throughout his first season. Outside of Fernando Tatis Jr., the remainder of the Pads lineup needs a jolt, and they’ll have the opportunity Friday. The Over will be in play, but after dropping game one at home, look for SD to come out a little stronger here with the inferior matchup. Back San Diego for this NL West battle.