by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Aug 21, 2021
Game time: 3:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Where to watch: NBCSP, Bally Sports San Diego
Season-to-date (entering Saturday)
Phillies: 62-60 (2nd place, NL East)
Padres: 67-57 (3rd place, NL West)
Recent form
Phillies: 3-7 in last 10
Padres: 2-8 in last 10, lost 4 straight
Projected lineup
Phillies:
Odubel Herrera (L) CF
Jean Segura (R) 2B
Bryce Harper (L) RF
Didi Gregorius (L) SS
Andrew McCutchen (R) LF
Brad Miller (L) 1B
Ronald Torreyes (R) 3B
Andrew Knapp (S) C
Kyle Gibson (R) P
Padres:
Trent Grisham (L) CF
Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
Manny Machado (R) 3B
Jake Cronenworth (L) SS
Austin Nola (R) C
Eric Hosmer (L) 1B
Wil Myers (R) LF
Adam Frazier (L) 2B
Ryan Weathers (L) P
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Padres -180, Phillies +155
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Phillies - Padres preview
The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres will conclude their three-game series Sunday in an afternoon tilt at Petco Park in San Diego.
At time of publishing, Game 2 has begun, and the Phillies are trying to capitalize off winning the first game Friday, a 4-3 win that was highlighted by a Bryce Harper home run in the third inning. Andrew McCutchen also had an RBI in a 1-for-4 night.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, getting back on the winning track did not gain them any ground in the National League East. They’re still four games back of the red-hot Atlanta Braves, who entered Saturday having won seven in a row.
Kyle Gibson is the projected starter for the Phillies to follow Aaron Nola on Saturday. The team is hoping the trade deadline acquisition can help them gain some traction heading into late August. Gibson carries an 8-5 record with a 3.18 ERA into this matchup. Gibson is 2-2 with an ERA near 5.00 in four starts since coming over from the Texas Rangers; he’s lost his last two starts to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The freefall continues for the Padres after being held to three runs. Two of them came from a two-run home run from Manny Machado in the third, and one from Fernando Tatis Jr. despite an 0-for-3 day from the plate.
Now it’s crunch time for the Padres, who haven’t gotten enough contribution offensively to offset solid starts from the rotation. Blake Snell had nine strikeouts in five innings despite 3 ER but the team as a whole could not shake the struggles. As a result, the Cincinnati Reds are tied with the Padres for the second wild-card spot in the National League, and the Reds are in the midst of a series with the Miami Marlins.
Ryan Weathers is expected to be on the mound for the Padres in hopes of capitalizing off the momentum from what Joe Musgrove could hopefully provide.
Betting trends
The Padres are 2-5 this season as a favorite of -150 or higher when Weathers starts. The over is 4-3. San Diego is 59-44 when a favorite this season.
Philadelphia is 29-27 as an underdog.
Prediction
As we talked about earlier this week, it really is a crapshoot to figure out what’s going to happen between these two teams. The pitchers will dictate this one most definitely, and stupid blind hope has us believing the Padres will figure this out. Padres win 5-4.
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
