Padres vs. Giants: Picks, predictions, how to watch Sunday’s game

The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants square off on Sunday with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Oracle Park in San Francisco and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The pitching matchup is an interesting one: The Padres will go with rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore while the Giants will counter with 10-year veteran Alex Wood.

The Padres (26-14) continue to be road warriors. They have won each of the first two games of this series by one run and are now 16-7 away from San Diego this year. Third baseman Manny Machado homered in Saturday’s 2-1 win, one day after picking up three hits in Friday’s victory. He leads the National League in batting average, on-base percentage and hits. Gore, the Padres’ top pitching prospect, has pretty much lived up to the billing since his debut on April 15. He’s recorded a 2.17 ERA with 32 K’s in 29 innings.

The Giants (22-17) will look to Darin Ruf to provide more offense with a left-hander on the mound. He slugged two homers Friday against Padres LHP Sean Manaea and has put together a 283/.403/.586 slash line with 12 HRs in 152 at-bats against lefties since the start of the 2021 season. Wood hasn’t been quite as good as last season but he’s still an above-average starter (albeit slightly) with his 101 ERA+. Wood’s 2022 season began with a decent outing versus the Padres; he went 4.1 innings, struck out six and gave up two runs on five hits.

Padres vs. Giants

Pitchers: MacKenzie Gore vs. Alex Wood
First pitch: 4:05 p.m. ET
Padres local broadcast: Bally Sports San Diego
Giants local broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: SF -145, SD +125

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: Padres +125

I understand this line mostly because it would be surprising if the Padres went into San Francisco and swept the Giants. But looking at Sunday’s game in the vacuum, the Padres have the advantage on the mound, both starting and in the bullpen. The Padres are playing better overall ... and you can get them with plus money? Take that all day.

Player prop pick: Eric Hosmer over 1.5 total bases (+140)

Ruf is obviously a fine pick if you’re looking for a 1.5 TB over (+110), but have you noticed that Hosmer, a left-handed batter, is 16-for-42 against lefties this year? Granted he is 0-for-6 against Wood in his career, but Hosmer’s surprisingly great start to this season and overall success versus LHPs makes buying into this favorable line worthwhile.

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