Padres vs Braves Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for April 7 (Atlanta's Offense Proves Crucial in Home Victory)

Padres vs. Braves Game Info

• Date: Friday, April 7, 2023
• Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
• Venue: Truist Park -- Atlanta, GA
• Coverage: Apple TV+

The 2023 MLB season continues on Friday with a thrilling showdown between the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. This series kicked off on Thursday in what was a 7-6 win for the Braves. Shortstop Orlando Arcia slapped a walk-off single with 2 outs in the ninth inning to send the crowd home happy.

San Diego will look to even the series with Nick Martinez (0-1, 5.14 ERA) on the mound, while Atlanta will look to win a ridiculous 16th home game in their last 18 tries as Jared Shuster (0-1, 7.71 ERA) draws the start. Which National League contender will put on a show for the viewers tuning in?

Padres vs. Braves Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: SD: (+108) | ATL: (-126)
• Spread: SD: +1.5 (-176) | ATL: -1.5 (+146)
• Total: 9.5 -- Over: (+100) | Under: (-122)

The Braves enter this National League matchup as home favorites on the moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This game also has a projected total of 9.5 runs, which the under favored at -122 odds.

Padres vs. Braves Betting Trends

• San Diego is 5-11 straight up in its last 16 games against Atlanta.
• The total has hit the over in five of San Diego's last six away games.
• Atlanta is 15-2 straight up in its last 17 home games.
• The total has hit the over in four of Atlanta's last five games against San Diego.

Padres vs. Braves Prediction & Pick

It hasn't taken long for Padres fans to grow fond of free agent signing Xander Bogaerts. The All-Star shortstop currently leads the team in hits (9), RBI (7), home runs (3) and batting average (.409). He is keeping them afloat while Juan Soto and Manny Machado have gotten off to less-than-ideal starts.

San Diego's average production at the plate (4.43 runs per game) puts them at a disadvantage given Atlanta ranks fifth in on-base percentage (0.357) and fourth in hits per game (10.3). The Braves lineup is stacked from top to bottom with elite hitters like Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, and Matt Olson.

Without either team having a true advantage on the mound, Atlanta's reliable offense makes them a rightful favorite. The Braves have won a staggering 43 of their last 56 games played at Truist Park and their fans are creating a playoff atmosphere in early April. That is not something to be taken lightly.

Final Score Prediction: Padres: 5 | Braves: 6

Padres vs. Braves Best Bet

It was a forgettable MLB debut for Shuster last Sunday as he allowed 4 earned runs on 6 hits and 5 walks in 4.2 innings against the Washington Nationals. He also notably logged only a single strikeout. Facing San Diego does not line up as much of a bounce-back opportunity considering the Padres rank third in batter strikeouts per game (6.9) after finishing 11th in that statistical category in 2022.

Bet: Jared Shuster under 3.5 Strikeouts (-102)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.