The Miami Marlins will host the San Diego Padres Monday night. The Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. was recently suspended by the MLB, grabbing all of the headlines. Now, San Diego will focus on their playoff push without the services of their star shortstop this year.
"Put a Curly W in the books for the series!" - Padres
The Marlins were beaten by the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Sunday, bringing their record down to 50-65 on the season. The Padres now sit at 65-52 on the year after their 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals. Miami has been a pretty bad team at home, losing 15 of their last 23 at LoanDepot Park.
Sandy Alcantara, who is 10-5 with a 2.01 ERA, will take the mound Monday for Miami. He has been dominant this season, and he'll be matched up with a pretty good Padres lineup on Monday.
In his previous start, Alcantara tossed 7 2/3 innings, surrendering four earned runs in a loss versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins' righty has been impressive at home this season, carrying a 1.80 ERA at LoanDepot Park in 12 home starts, but the Padres' lineup is pretty deep. Look for Alcantara to try and add to his Cy Young case on Monday.
"Sandy Alcántara, 92mph Wrong Way Slider." - Rob Friedman
San Diego's Joe Musgrove gets the ball on Monday night, who is 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA. Last start, he was solid, tossing seven frames and allowing six hits and one earned run while striking out four. Musgrove has had some shaky starts over the last few weeks, but this outing is a great sign. The Marlins offense is also averaging a measly 2.1 runs per game in their past seven.
The San Diego right-hander has a 2.94 road ERA, and the Padres have won nine of his last 12 road starts. Even though Musgrove is carrying a 5.79 ERA in his past five starts, he should breeze through this Miami lineup in the series opener.
Miami Marlins vs. San Diego Padres Match Details
Fixture: San Diego Padres @ Miami Marlins
Date & Time: Monday, August 15, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Venue: LoanDepot Park, Miami, Florida
Miami Marlins vs. San Diego Padres Betting Odds
Miami Marlins vs. San Diego Padres Best Picks
Alcantara is arguably one of the best starters in all of baseball, and Musgrove was named an All-Star this year for a reason. Expect these offenses to be shut down early in this one, specifically the first time through the order.
Pick: First 3 Innings Under 1.5 Runs (+105)
Miami Marlins vs. San Diego Padres Betting Prediction
The Marlins are in the midst of a four-game losing streak that they'll look to put an end to on Monday. They've been terrible at home, but they are 14-9 when Alcantara starts. The best bet here is to target the under since it's gone that way in eight of Miami's last 11 as underdogs. Expect a pitcher's duel on Monday.
Prediction: Under 6.5 (-105) & Marlins Team Total Under 3 (-140)
Last 15 Days MLB Picks are: 90-70-3 (+136.0 Units)