It’s a big series to start the second half as the San Diego Padres start on the road at the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. The Padres are one of the biggest disappointments to start the 2023 season, with their 43-47 record. The Padres are in fourth place in a very competitive National League West Division. Philadelphia, the defending National League Champions, knows the value of winning second-half games. The Phillies are 48-41 and third place behind Atlanta and Miami in the National League East.
Despite being on the road, the San Diego Padres are favorites here. The Padres are listed at -130, while the Phillies are at +110. The Padres at -1.5 are +125, while the Phillies +1.5 is at -145. The total for this game is listed at 9.5 runs.
Pitching Matchup in Philadelphia
Yu Darvish will get the start for the San Diego Padres. Darvish is 5-6 on the season with a 4.87 earned run average. The 36-year-old from Japan is coming off a start before the All-Star Break, where he allowed 7 hits and 3 runs over 5 innings. In his last three starts, Darvish has thrown 16 innings and allowed 13 earned runs.
The Philadelphia Phillies will send Christopher Sanchez to the mound in this affair. The 26-year-old lefthander from the Dominican Republic is 0-2 on the season. Sanchez has thrown just 25.1 innings this season while striking out 22 batters and walking just 4.
Offenses With Pop
The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres both have offenses that have a ton of pop in their lineup. Despite that, both teams are right in the middle of total offense. The Phillies and Padres are both scoring 4.5 runs per game. The Padres are averaging just 7.7 hits per game, while Philadelphia is just shy of 9 per game.
San Diego won their final two games before the break with 4.5 runs per game. The bigger news was the pitching that allowed just 3 total runs in those games. The top home run threat for the Padres has been Fernando Tatis Jr. He has 16 home runs, while Manny Machado and Juan Soto sith with 15.
On the other side, the Phillies dropped their final two games before the break. Philadelphia had won four games in a row before that. The Phillies are led in offense by Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott, hitting .301. The power comes from Kyle Schwarber, as he has clubbed 22 home runs on the season.
Padres Use Veteran Pitching
It’s interesting that the Philadelphia Phillies are going to use a rookie starting pitcher right out of the gate for the second half. In this one, the Padres have the better end of the pitching matchup. Look for Darvish to throw the ball well in this game and keep Philadelphia off balance. The bet here is on the San Diego Padres, despite being on the road. Take San Diego -130 over Philadelphia on Friday.
