The San Diego Padres take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Our MLB odds series has our Padres Diamondbacks prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Padres Diamondbacks.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres are both under .500 entering this game. They both need to make sure they don't fall too far behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. What Arizona and San Diego also need to worry about is the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs both look very solid as National League wild card teams. Philadelphia seems almost certain to win at least 90 games this season. The Phils are giving the Atlanta Braves a serious test in the National League East. The Cubs have made roster and managerial upgrades and are 19-14 through 33 games. It will be hard for the D-Backs and Padres to catch Chicago. If we presume the Phils and Cubs will remain good throughout the season (which is very possible), there will be only one wild card spot up for grabs in the National League heading into late August and early September. The margin for error is already shrinking for Arizona and San Diego. That, more than anything else, magnifies the importance of this early-May weekend series in Phoenix.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are laboring under the burden of wanting to prove that their National League pennant and World Series appearance in 2023 were not flukes. The Padres are toiling under the oppressive weight of knowing they were a massive disappointment and a large-scale failure last season. Neither team has handled the pressure or scrutiny very well this season, and for both sides, it's the hitting which stands out as the main problem. Neither side has been able to consistently score large quantities of runs. Bursts of quality emerge here and there, such as the Padres smacking some long balls in the first game of this series on Friday night, but nothing is sustained for long periods of time. The Padres once again are having trouble stringing several good games together. The Diamondbacks will have one really good night at the plate and then regress the next few nights. These teams can relate to what the other is going through.

It's really important for these teams to get on a hot streak and win this weekend series as a start of a new chapter of performance in 2024. Early-May games aren't the same as September showdowns, but there's a lot of value in these head-to-head battles between struggling division foes who have talent but have not actualized it yet this season. With San Diego striking first on Friday, there is added pressure on Arizona to respond on Saturday.

Here are the Padres-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Padres-Diamondbacks Odds

San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+100)

Arizona Diamondbacks: +1.5 (-120)

Over: 9 (-114)

Under: 9 (-106)

How To Watch Padres vs. Diamondbacks

TV: MLB (Padres) / MLB (Diamondbacks) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 8:10 p.m. ET/5:10 p.m. PT

*Watch Padres-Diamondbacks LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Padres Could Cover The Spread

The Padres crushed the baseball on Friday in a dominant win. Maybe that will get this team going. Jake Cronenworth has hit the ball really well the past few games. If he can catch fire, the Padres become a much better team.

Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread

The Diamondbacks have been roughed up by the Dodgers and Padres this week. They know they need to bounce back. After playing a few really bad games on Wednesday and Friday, this team should be able to turn things around on Saturday.

Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick

You should stay away from this game, since both teams have not found a groove and can't be trusted just yet this season.

Final Padres-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Padres -1.5