The San Diego Padres (+100) host the Chicago White Sox (-120) at Petco Park on Friday for the opener of a three-game Interleague series. The early total has been set at 7 runs. The White Sox (77-79) are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Twins, taking the finale 4-3 on Thursday at Target Field. Jose Abreu was 2 for 4 with a double and one RBI. The Padres (86-70) are in the midst of a nine-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Dodgers in their last series, dropping the finale 5-2 on Thursday at Petco Park. Jurickson Profar went 3 for 5 with one run. The teams are meeting for the first time since May 14, 2017, when the White Sox finished off a 2-1 series win with a 9-3 victory at Guaranteed Rate Field.
ON THE MOUND
Davis Martin (2-5, 3.86 ERA) is set to start for Chicago. The LHP allowed three runs over six innings in his last start, a 7-2 road defeat against the Tigers on Saturday. He took the loss, giving up seven hits while striking out four and walking one.For San Diego, RHP Yu Darvish (16-7, 3.05 ERA) gets the ball. In his last start on Saturday, Darvish got the win on the road against the Rockies. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on five hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 9-3 victory. The right-hander is tied for third in the NL in wins.
AT THE PLATE
The Chicago offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .258/.313/.389. Abreu leads the team in OPS at .823. The first baseman is slashing .305/.378/.445 with 15 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 84 runs over 153 games. Over the last five games, though, Chicago has averaged only 2.2 runs a game while slashing worse across the board (.185/.234/.280). Against righties like Darvish this season, the Sox have a .681 OPS. Abreu also is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .825 OPS in 469 at-bats.San Diego is slashing .240/.318/.382 for the season and averaging 4.4 runs per game. Manny Machado leads the team with a .907 OPS. The third baseman has 31 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 97 runs scored with a slash line of .299/.370/.537. San Diego is averaging 5.6 runs per game in the last five with a better slash line (.272/.346/.397). The Padres have a .707 OPS against left-handers in 2022. With a .973 OPS over 137 at-bats, Brandon Drury has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 42-36 in road games in 2022, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 3.8 runs. San Diego has gone 41-34 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. Chicago is 2-1 in three games between the teams at Petco Park with an average scoreline of 4.3-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The White Sox are second in the AL Central, 11 games behind the division-leading Guardians. They are fifth in the Wild Card race, eight games out of third. The Padres are second in the NL West, 22 games behind the Dodgers. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting second with a magic number of five.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SD Padres (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
