San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks
Over/Under: 8.5
First pitch: 6:40 p.m. PT
Probable pitchers: Chris Paddack (8-7, 3.69 ERA) vs. Zac Gallen (2-4, 2.79 ERA)
A glimpse of the future in the National League West will be on display tonight with two youngsters who carry upper-rotation potential facing off in the desert.
Both rookies have already exhibited what they’re capable of. Paddack may not have sustained the dominance he showed in the first month of the season (1.93 ERA, .126 batting average against) but he’s still been very solid overall. Paddack enters having compiled a 3.69 ERA through 23 starts.
Above that, the Texas native has manufactured some eye-opening numbers, like his 129 strikeouts — compared to only 27 walks — in 124.1 innings pitched.
In addition, Paddack has held opposing batters to a minuscule .212 average, which is the eighth-lowest BAA in all of baseball among starters. His 1.01 WHIP is tied with Clayton Kershaw for the NL’s best mark.
Not to be outdone, Gallen has crafted together a pretty impressive first season in his own right. Although it’s involved a smaller sample size (12 starts), the 24-year-old is still yet to allow more than three runs in an outing. Furthermore, he yielded two runs or fewer in all but two of his assignments.
Opposing the toughest lineup in the league his last time out, Gallen held his own in limiting the Los Angeles Dodgers to three runs across five innings. None of those were tallied via the long ball, something that’s continued to be key to the right-hander’s success.
Gallen’s given up only five homers in 61.1 total innings — and none at Chase Field. Fortunately, this is a home date for the former Miami Marlin. It’s also worth noting that Gallen has a higher strikeout rate (10.86 K/9) than his counterpart this evening. Look for both pitchers to keep rolling strong as their debut seasons in the bigs wind down. Play: UNDER 8.5 (-120)
Yesterday’s Result: Tigers-Royals Under 9.5 (“loss”)
Zylbert’s 2019 MLB Over/Under Betting Record*: 75-69-10, -2.75 units
*Each bet graded as if it were to win 1 unit