Darvish Gives Padres a Huge Edge vs Giants

Hardly anyone saw the San Francisco Giants challenging the National League West’s dueling powers for the top spot in the division – but here they are, holding down the top spot as they open a weekend series in San Diego. The Giants (16-9 SU, 10-14-1 O/U) took two of three from the Padres (14-12 SU, 10-16 O/U) earlier in the season in a series that was surprisingly low-scoring.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

San Diego is the clear favorite in this one, with the Sportsbook odds of -188 rising all the way to -200 in the majority of spots, though you’ll find the odd -190. The total has held steady at 7.5, with the OVER at -105 and the UNDER at -115.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Giants right-hander Logan Webb (1-1, 4.03 ERA) will be looking to build on the momentum of his last start when he blanked the Miami Marlins over seven sensational innings while racking up eight strikeouts. Webb had failed to make it out of the sixth inning in any of his previous three turns, allowing 10 runs – including three homers – over 14.1 innings.

Padres counterpart Yu Darvish (2-1, 2.27 ERA) has hit his stride after a clunker in his season opener. The marquee offseason acquisition has allowed exactly one run in each of his past four starts, limiting opponents to just 11 total hits with 31 strikeouts over his last 27 innings. That includes a quality start (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) in a 3-1 win over the Giants back on April 6.

San Francisco News & Notes

It could be a long night for Giants hitters, who have a meager .203/.282/.314 slash line as a team against Darvish all-time.

Still, there’s at least one player worth a look in daily fantasy: outfielder Alex Dickerson, who is 3-for-9 with a home run in his career vs Darvish. Dickerson hits in the heart of the order against right-handers and his price tag – especially on Sportsbook – is a steal.

San Diego News & Notes

Boasting starters like Darvish and Blake Snell is a benefit few teams have – but that’s not the only pitching advantage the Padres have over the competition.

San Diego comes into the weekend with the sixth-lowest bullpen ERA at 3.07 while boasting a terrific 11.10 K/9 rate that ranks second in the majors to the New York Mets (11.50).

Betting Pick: Padres -1.5 (+117)

You can’t deny the pitching advantage the Padres have in this one – so avoid the straight moneyline and side with the home team to win by multiple runs for a much better payout.