San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction – 9/27/2024

NL West opponents will meet on Friday night as the San Diego Padres visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks are slight favorites going into this game, priced at around -130, while the Padres are priced at +110 on the other side. This series is massive in the National League playoff race as it could determine where both teams end up in the playoffs, or if one of these teams even makes the playoffs.

San Diego Prepping For the Playoffs

The San Diego Padres have already clinched a spot in the National League postseason and that spot is confirmed to be a Wild Card spot after they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night. That loss allowed the Dodgers to clinch the NL West title, which will force the Padres into the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Here, the Padres will look to finish their regular season on a high note to build some momentum going into the playoffs.

Yu Darvish will take the hill for the Padres in this NL West rivalry game on Friday night. Darvish is 6-3 on the season with an ERA of 3.18, as he continues to work his way back from a significant injury absence that lasted from the end of May until the end of August. Since returning in early September, Darvish has gone 2-0 and the Padres have won all four games that he has started, a streak they will look to continue tonight in Phoenix.

A Massive Weekend Begins For the Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks enter this weekend tied with the New York Mets for the second National League Wild Card spot. Both Arizona and New York are one game ahead of the Braves, who are on the outside looking in going into the final few days of regular season action. In this Padres vs Diamondbacks contest, Arizona can help its cause in a big way as they have just three games left to try and secure a spot in the postseason.

It will be Merrill Kelly taking the ball for the Diamondbacks on Friday night. Kelly is 5-0 this season with a 3.71 ERA, as he also missed a large chunk of this season due to injuries. The Diamondbacks right-hander was sidelined from mid-April until August and has gone 3-0 since his return to the Arizona rotation. There are few pitchers Arizona would rather have on the mound in an important spot like this one.

Padres vs Diamondbacks Best Bet

This is a series we could see repeat itself in the postseason, as both of these teams have a great shot to make it to October. As for Friday’s Padres vs Diamondbacks matchup, we will take the Arizona Diamondbacks to win as a home favorite, as this game means everything to them going into a weekend where even one loss could knock them out of the postseason entirely.