Can Webb’s Mastery Silence the Padres and Ignite a Legendary Battle?

Ever wonder if the NL West’s rollercoaster ride this season could throw another curveball tonight? The Padres and Giants—two teams neither quite locked in nor out of the playoff mix—are gearing up for a showdown that’s about more than just a game; it’s a statement. The Padres, perched second in the division, are doubling down on their star power with Yu Darvish on the mound, hoping to shake off a rocky start. Meanwhile, the Giants, floating at .500, aim to prove their worth with Logan Webb, who’s been quietly tearing it up at home. With playoffs looming and unexpected twists already written this season, who’s really got the edge? Dive into the battle where every pitch counts and the NL West’s true contenders start to reveal themselves. LEARN MORE.

Padres vs. Giants, 9:45 ET

The NL West has been one of the more interesting divisions in baseball this season. We knew going into the year that two teams were locks for being what they were. We knew the Dodgers were going to be one of the best teams in baseball and that the Rockies were going to be one of the worst teams in baseball. The other three teams, the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants were all expected to be some level of good. The Padres and Giants square off tonight as the two are still hoping to make the playoff chase a reality.Â

The Padres are second in the NL West, and just a few days ago I recommended that we place some wagers on the Padres to win the division. The value on them was just too high, and they (once again) pushed all their chips to the middle of the table in hopes of getting this elusive World Series. The Padres are one of the better hitting teams in baseball as you’d expect from a lineup with a loaded roster. The pitching has been solid for the Padres as well – as a team, they have a collective ERA of 3.62 and a 1.22 WHIP. They have won four of their past five games, doing so both with great offense and solid pitching. Today they send out Yu Darvish to the mound. If they want to get the most out of their roster, they need to get Darvish on track. He started his season a month ago and only has one start where he went more than five innings. He has allowed 20 earned runs in 27.2 innings this season. Eight of those runs came in one game against the Cardinals. Darvish does have a good history against the Giants, holding them to just six hits in 39 at-bats.Â

The Giants are only a .500 club at the moment. They did have some moments where they were among the best in baseball, and their roster has enough talent that you would expect them to be better than what their record says they are. There was a stretch of the season where it looked like the NL West could send four teams to the playoffs, now it seems like we will only see two teams in the playoffs from the NL West. The Giants will spend the offseason trying to tinker and figure things out around a core of Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, and Matt Chapman. The pitching staff has Justin Verlander, who could retire, and Robbie Ray, along with today’s starter Logan Webb. Webb is one of the better pitchers in San Francisco, he is 10-8 with a 3.24 ERA, and a 1.25 WHIP. Webb has faced the Pirates in each of his past two starts, punching out double-digits in each. At home, Webb has thrown to a 2.78 ERA, a full run lower than on the road. He has faced the Padres twice. On the road, he struggled to a five inning game where he allowed nine hits and five earned runs. At home, he went eight innings and allowed no earned runs while scattering six hits.Â

The Padres strikeout fewer than almost all MLB teams, so backing Webb to get over his strikeout total (a low 4.5) isn’t the safest bet. I do think he should be able to get over the total, but I think against Darvish the Giants have a better chance to get a win. I’m backing Webb and the Giants in this one on the moneyline.

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