San Diego Padres vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Odds, Prediction
The game opened with both at -110 on the MLB odds.
Padres vs. Blue Jays July 18 Betting Analysis
The Padres have never won the World Series and have only been there once, losing in five to one of the great teams in modern history, the 1984 Detroit Tigers. With a returning superstar trio of All-Stars Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Juan Soto as well as offseason additions in All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Manager Bob Melvin, the Padres were a chic pick to win the NL pennant after losing in the 2022 NLCS to Philadelphia.
Alas, the Friars have underachieved thus far big time. Melvin might be one-and-done if they don’t get back to the postseason. This writer isn’t sure the Padres have the starting pitching to win the National League, but they likely won’t be afraid to add salary to acquire a good one by the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline.
The Blue Jays are 8-7 all-time vs. the Padres. The teams haven’t played since 2019 when Toronto lost two of three at home.
San Diego Padres
San Diego finally appeared to have figured everything out at the tail end of the first half in playing some of its best baseball of the season, but the Padres enter on a three-game slide. They won the first game post-break in Philadelphia but then dropped the next three, allowing a combined 22 runs. The Padres are one of three MLB teams this season that have not yet had a winning streak of more than three games. They are +392 to make the playoffs and -556 to miss. Right-hander Joe Musgrove (8-2, 3.29 ERA) will take the hill Tuesday. He got a late start to 2023 due to injury and perhaps was a bit distracted by contract negotiations (the sides did agree to a big long-term deal) as Musgrove struggled early but has been spectacular since late May – his last personal loss was May 20. On the road this year, he’s 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA. Musgrove has pitched 12.1 career innings vs. the Blue Jays and is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA. Daulton Varsho is 4-for-11 off him with two doubles and a homer from Varsho’s Arizona days.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto couldn’t have been any more impressive out of the break with a three-game home sweep of Arizona, which had been tied for the NL West lead. The Jays are 19-7 vs. NL clubs this season, the best interleague win per centage (.731) in the majors. Maybe the only bad news out of the Arizona series was that ace Kevin Gausman couldn’t pitch during it because of an oblique injury (also kept him from All-Star Game), and he won’t be able to pitch in this series, either. It’s Alec Manoah (2-7, 5.91) on the mound Tuesday. He returned from his minor-league stint in excellent fashion on July 7 in Detroit in allowing one run over six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks in a victory. Manoah has never faced the Padres and is 0-4 with an 8.68 ERA at home this year.
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