Padres Look to Complete Sweep

The Padres have won three straight, including Saturday’s 7-5 win. San Diego enters Sunday’s action in third place in the NL West, 3½ games behind the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers and 10½ games ahead of the fourth-place Colorado Rockies.

If you want to bet on this contest, the MLB odds have the Padres with a moneyline of -140, while the Reds are listed at +125. The over/under for the series finale is set at eight runs.

As well explore a variety of other baseball odds here to win!

Getting Better?

The Reds will send right-hander Luis Castillo to the mound for Sunday’s series finale. Castillo is 2-9 with a 5.83 ERA, having struck out 67 and walked 30 in 71 innings.

Although Castillo doesn’t have great stats, he has been throwing much better in June, registering a 1.93 ERA in three starts in the month. He took a no-decision in his last start, facing Milwaukee on Tuesday and shutting out the Brewers on three hits over seven innings while striking out seven in a 10-inning win.

The frustrations of the losing weekend may be getting to the Reds, who had Joey Votto and manager David Bell ejected from Saturday’s game in the first inning.

Outfielder Nick Castellanos has had a frustrating series, going 2-for-12 with three strikeouts to fall to second in baseball with a .341 batting average. Castellanos has 13 home runs, 37 RBIs and 46 runs scored.

Castellanos now trails teammate Jesse Winker, in the batting race, as Winker has a .344 batting average heading into Sunday. Winker also has 17 home runs and a team-high 50 runs scored while tying for the team lead with outfielder Tyler Naquin with 43 RBIs.

Hoping for Best

The Padres’ excitement over three straight wins was tempered a bit when Fernando Tatis Jr. re-injured his shoulder in Saturday’s contest. Tatis went on the injured list earlier this season when he partially dislocated the shoulder while taking a swing on April 5.

“We feel like we’re in a fairly decent position,” San Diego manager Jayce Tingler said after Saturday’s win. “The trainers think it’s nowhere near where it’s been earlier on in the year.”

Tatis is officially listed as day-to-day, but it’s likely he will sit out this contest. The 22-year-old shortstop is tied for second in baseball with 22 home runs and tied for seventh with 50 RBIs. He’s batting .285 and has a team-high 52 runs scored in 55 games.

The big hit in Saturday’s game came from Tatis’ spot in the lineup. Ha-Seong Kim replaced Tatis and hit a seventh-inning home run that gave San Diego the lead for good. The 25-year-old South Korean has four home runs and 20 RBIs in 155 at-bats and he’ll likely get Tatis’ playing time until the All-Star is able to return to the lineup.

The Padres will turn to right-hander Dinelson Lamet to make the start on Sunday. The 28-year-old is 1-2 with a 3.33 ERA, striking out 30 and walking 10 in 27 innings spread across seven starts and nine appearances.

Lamet took the loss in his last start against Colorado on Monday, as he went four innings and allowed one run on four hits, striking out three and walking two. In his prior start, he went five innings and gave up four runs on four hits, including a home run, in a loss to the Cubs.

Reds Salvage Win

The Padres have had all the answers in this series, but that will end on Sunday. The Reds have too much firepower in their lineup to get swept, even against an explosive San Diego squad.

When making your MLB betting picks, take Cincinnati to pick up the road win on Sunday.

Pick: Cincinnati Reds +125