Free Picks: Oakland Athletics vs. San Diego Padres

Both Oakland and San Diego are the talk of baseball entering Wednesday. The Padres are fighting for a potential playoff berth in the NL West, while the A’s are looking for a playoff ticket through the AL West. Wednesday night, Blake Snell (4-3, 4.93 ERA) starts for the hometown Padres, while the visiting Athletics sending LHP Sean Manaea (7-6, 3.16 ERA) to the mound.

Other than being on the west coast, the Padres and Athletics have another common trait.  

Both teams are trying to make the postseason through the Wild Card. The A’s and Padres are only a handful of games back of their respective divisions, but their current best bet of making the postseason would be a Wild Card berth.  

San Diego is grinding away, while Oakland is fighting off other teams from rival divisions. Overall, it’s an exciting (and nerve-wracking) time for A’s and Padres fans.  

For this free MLB pick, I think it’s only right to focus on the Moneyline. I see solid return in betting on the favorite, which is why I want to look at San Diego for this game.  

Moneyline bets aren’t always sexy because the return might not as enticing for potential return. But if that’s the best bet you can make for a game, then you need to hammer it! 

San Diego is a menace at home. With a record of 33-19, the Padres do damage in front of their hometown fans. 

Blake Snell is the protected starter for San Diego and has been tossing over his last 3 starts. The LHP has tallied 14 innings, allowing just 5 earned runs. His ERA in his last 3 games (3.21) is better than his season ERA (4.93) and he seems to be turning a corner after the All-Star break. 

In the Padres’ last 5 games, they have averaged 4.15 runs against RHP. On top of that, the Padres are 5-0 in Snell’s last 5 starts during game 2 of a series and are 4-0 in their last 4 interleague home games against a team with a winning record. 

I hope to see the Athletics in the MLB Playoffs. They are an exciting team to watch and the fans of Oakland deserve it. But with that being said, the combination of Snell on the bump and San Diego’s offense is enough for me to lean on the Padres for this MLB prediction.

• San Diego is 8-1 against American League opponents this season.
• The Padres are 51-31 as favourites.
• Snell is 1-0 vs. Oakland in last 3 starts.