Will Padres rebound vs. Braun’s Brewers?
No one’s predicting that the Padres will suddenly challenge the titans of the NL West for the division title. Having won three of four, though, can San Diego keep the momentum going tonight?
Andy Green’s club must rely heavily on its bullpen to do so. The Padres and Brewers meet in the third tilt of a four-game set at Miller Park, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch. Oddsmakers at online sports book are leaning toward the hosts, while the visitors enter as underdogs. The over/under holds steady at nine runs.
Sublime pitching once again carried San Diego on Friday. Despite six innings of one-run ball from Christian Friedrich, however, the visiting team dropped a 1-0 decision to Milwaukee. The Brew Crew prevailed despite plating fewer than three runs for the 12th time in 2016.
Perhaps they’ll benefit from seeing a flood of different hurlers this evening. Green acknowledges that Luis Perdomo (1-0, 9.88 ERA), who makes his first MLB start, likely won’t venture very deep into the contest. Therefore, Carlos Villanueva and other members of the Padres’ relief corps will be tasked with neutralizing Ryan Braun and the heart of Craig Counsell’s lineup on multiple occasions.
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Milwaukee’s abundant problems notwithstanding, Braun remains a huge threat at the plate. The former MVP carries a .367 average with seven homers and 27 RBIs through 34 games. He’ll do as much as possible to provide support for Wily Peralta (2-4, 6.75), whose most recent outing was arguably his strongest of the campaign.
Considering San Diego’s past success against the righty, though, we’re probably in store for a bit of an offensive show. Look for Matt Kemp (.4 for lifetime mark vs. Peralta) to initiate matters, but Braun’s more than capable of offering that counterpunch. At the end of the evening, the scoreboard should feature plenty of crooked numbers.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: PADRES/BREWERS OVER 9 RUNS
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