Mets vs Padres Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for July 9 (Scherzer's Strikeout Tear Continues)

The New York Mets (42-47) aim to return to the win column when they close out their three-game series with the San Diego Padres (42-47) on Sunday.

Mets vs Padres Game Info

• Date: Sunday, July 9, 2023
• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Petco Park -- San Diego, California
• Coverage: MyNetworkTV, MLB.TV

The Mets' six-game winning streak came to a close yesterday with a 3-1 loss to the Padres. San Diego scored its three runs in the second inning and never looked back as starting pitcher Blake Snell struck out 11 batters while allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings.

Mets vs Padres Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds, and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NYM: (+114) | SD: (-134)
• Spread: NYM: +1.5 (-182) | SD: -1.5 (+150)
• Total: 8 -- Over: (-106) | Under: (-114)

The Padres enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 4:10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 8 runs with the Under being favored at -114 odds. 

Mets vs Padres Betting Trends

• The Mets are 5-2 straight up (SU) in their last seven road games.
• San Diego is 7-3 SU in its last 10 home games.
• The total has hit the Under in 13 of the Mets' last 20 games against the National League.
• The total has hit the Under in five of San Diego's last six games against the Mets.

Mets vs Padres Prediction & Pick

There's a good chance that fans could witness a pitching duel this afternoon. The Mets are turning to Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young winner. The 38-year-old tends to give New York a good shot at winning any game he starts, going 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 26 innings in his last four appearances.

Meanwhile, the Padres will start Joe Musgrove, who's won four of his last five starts with a 2.53 ERA along the way. Musgrove was dominant in his latest appearance on July 4, striking out 11 batters with one run allowed over seven innings in an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In what should be an evenly-matched contest, I'm taking the Mets to pull off the upset. The Padres are only 22-24 SU as the favorite and 13-17 against the spread at home against NL clubs this season. That's not to mention their 25-32 SU record against right-handed pitchers overall.

It'll be close, but New York has the edge.

Final Score Prediction: Mets: 4 | Padres: 3

Mets vs Padres Best Bet

I'm taking Max Scherzer to record over 6.5 strikeouts as the best bet for this game. While that's a big ask from some pitchers, it's another day in the office for the veteran arm. Scherzer has recorded 7+ K's in seven of his last eight outings, including each of the last four.

After San Diego struck out 11 times yesterday, I like Scherzer's chances of making good on this prop.

Bet: Max Scherzer — Strikeouts: Over 6.5 (-136)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.