With another big weekend of August baseball ahead, MLB handicapper Dalton Brown is back with a value bet for Friday night.
9:40 p.m. ET: San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks: Padres F5 -0.5 (-120) at BetMGM
The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks will begin a three-game weekend series from Phoenix after each team's day off on Thursday, and I'm backing Blake Snell to lead the Friars to an early advantage.
Snell has been as steady as any pitcher in baseball over the last several months, pitching his way into the middle of the Cy Young discussion in the National League. The lefty has surrendered two or fewer runs in 13 of his last 14 starts, a streak that was broken in his last outing against the Dodgers. He posted ridiculous ERAs of 0.87 and 0.56 in June and July, respectively, and is taking on one of the coldest lineups in baseball in this spot. Arizona ranks 25th in MLB with a wRC+ of 77 against lefties since July 1 and hasn't won a game in August.
Ryne Nelson will take the mound for Arizona, a righty who has been consistently below average this season. He surrendered eight runs over 10 innings of work against the Padres back in May, and was drilled for six runs by the Twins in his last start. The Padres lineup Nelson will face is no slouch, either - since July 1, San Diego ranks eighth in baseball with a wRC+ of 113 against righties.