Free MLB Picks Today: San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 7/3/23

The Los Angeles Angels (45-41) take one of the highest-scoring lineups in the American League on the road to face the San Diego Padres (38-46) at Petco Park on Monday to open a three-game Interleague series.

The Angels just wrapped up a seven-game homestand (3-4). They won only one out of three in their last series against the Diamondbacks, taking the finale 5-2 on Sunday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mickey Moniak was 1 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs.

The Padres are playing the first of six games at home after concluding a tough six-game road trip (1-5). They lost two of three against the Reds in their last series, dropping the finale 4-3 on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.

Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2 for 4 with a solo home run. Ha-Seong Kim added a solo home run. The teams are meeting for the first time since September 8, 2021, when the Padres avoided a two-game series sweep with an 8-5 win at Petco Park.

ON THE MOUND

Jaime Barria (2-3, 2.92 ERA) is set to start for Los Angeles. The right-hander allowed five runs over three innings in his last start, an 11-5 road defeat against the White Sox on Wednesday. He took the loss, yielding seven hits and walking two.

For San Diego, southpaw Blake Snell (4-7, 3.21 ERA) is on the mound. In his last start on Wednesday, Snell took the loss on the road against the Pirates.

He threw six innings and gave up two runs on three hits, striking out 10 and walking two in the 7-1 defeat. The left-hander ranks third in the NL in strikeouts (114).

AT THE PLATE

The Los Angeles offense is averaging 4.9 runs per game for the season, third-best in the AL, with a slash line of .256/.331/.443. Shohei Ohtani leads the team in OPS at 1.057.

He is slashing .306/.391/.666 with 31 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 61 runs over 84 games. Against lefties like Snell this season, the Halos have a .761 OPS. Ohtani also is the team’s strongest hitter against left-handers with a 1.002 OPS in 86 at-bats.

San Diego is slashing .233/.322/.398 for the season and averaging 4.3 runs per game. Juan Soto leads the team with a .925 OPS. The left fielder has 15 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 46 runs scored with a slash line of .274/.423/.502.

The Padres have a .698 OPS against righties in 2023. With a 1.025 OPS over 195 at-bats, Soto also has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

Los Angeles is 22-21 away from home in 2023, scoring 5.3 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. San Diego has gone 20-22 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. In the last 10 games at Petco Park between the teams, Los Angeles is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.5-2.8.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Angels are third in the AL West, seven games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Padres are fourth in the NL West, 11 games behind the Diamondbacks.