The forecast for Wednesday's Astros vs. Padres matchup calls for broken clouds and temperatures in the upper 60s. First pitch from PETCO Park is set for 6:40 PM ET. Framber Valdez is starting for the Astros, and he is facing off against Dylan Cease for the Padres.
Currently, the Astros are 82-69 and are 1st in the AL West, while the Padres are 86-66 and are 2nd in the NL West. Houston is favored on the money line today, and the over/under line is at 7 runs.
Houston vs. San Diego Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Astros at Padres
- Where: PETCO Park San Diego
- Date: Wednesday, September 18th
- Betting Odds HOU -112 | SD -106 O/U 7
Astros vs Padres Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Astros vs Padres series. Houston went into the matchup as +101 underdogs and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The Astros had a two-run 4th inning and scored the game's go-ahead run in the 8th. As for the Padres, they scored their only run in the 6th and had a two-run 7th.
Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros. Michael King pitched well for the Padres in this one, going seven innings and striking out seven without giving up a run.
Hunter Brown got the win for the Astros out of the bullpen, while Josh Hader got the save. Adrian Morejon took the loss for San Diego out of the bullpen.
Astros Preview
Heading into today's game, the Astros are 82-69 overall and lead the AL West by five games over the Mariners. They have a 40-37 road record this season. Against the run line, Houston is 78-73, including a 43-34 mark on the road. The Astros have covered the run line in four straight games and are 26-13 as underdogs.
As favorites, the Astros are 63-49 straight up this season and have a 26-20-2 series record. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs, and they have gone over the total in 61 of 146 games. The current under streak for the Astros is at two games.
Left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today as he faces the Padres on the road. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 14-6 with an ERA of 2.91. Valdez's WHIP for the season is currently 1.09. In his 26 appearances, he has turned in 16 quality starts and is averaging 8.74 strikeouts per nine innings. Valdez's most recent outing came on September 12th, where he finished with a no-decision after giving up one earned run in 6 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Yordan Alvarez has been the Astros' top hitter this season, as he is batting .307 with a league-leading 34 home runs and 85 RBIs. However, he has gone just 4/23 in his last six games, with two homers. Jose Altuve is also near the top of the MLB home run leaderboard, as he has 19 homers to go along with a batting average of .301.
Over his last five games, Jason Heyward is batting .375 with two homers for the Astros. However, Heyward has just four homers for the season, and his batting average is just .224. Yainer Diaz is also swinging the bat well of late, going 8/27 in his last six games.
Padres Preview
San Diego is 3.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West with an 86-66 record. They have a 41-36 record at home and are 45-30 on the road. The Padres have a 77-75 run line record, going 37-17 as underdogs and 40-58 as favorites.
For games with a total of 7 runs, the over has hit in 11 of 16 for the Padres. Their overall over/under record is 80-69, and the under has hit in their last three games.
Dylan Cease will be looking to build off his last outing, where he faced the Giants and picked up the win. In that September 13th outing, Cease went six innings, didn't give up a run, and finished with 10 strikeouts. Looking at his overall numbers, Cease has made 31 starts, and his record for the season is 13-11. Cease's ERA is 3.58, along with a WHIP of 1.09. This year, Cease has one complete game shutout and 15 quality starts. Per nine innings, Cease is averaging 10.99 strikeouts. For the season, Cease has allowed 18 homers and is averaging 3.17 walks per nine innings.
San Diego comes into the game with the league's top batting average at .265, and they are also the top home run hitting team in the league. Overall, they are averaging 4.8 runs per game, and they have been even better on the road at 5.1 runs per contest. The Padres are also the top team in the league at avoiding strikeouts.
Over his last seven games, Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone 11/29 with four homers, and Luis Arraez has also been hot, going 13/32 in that span. For the season, Manny Machado leads the team with 27 homers and is 8th in the league with 101 RBIs.
Astros vs. Padres Prediction: Astros ML -112
Our predicted final score for this Astros and Padres matchup is 6-5 in favor of the Astros. With the Astros predicted to come out on top and the payout for an Astros win sitting at -112, we like the Astros on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitcher's projections, we have Framber Valdez going five innings and picking up five strikeouts. As for Dylan Cease, we have him going five innings as well and finishing with five K's.
