Padres vs. Tigers, 6:40 ET It was another 1-1 day on the diamond for yours truly. I am not disappointed by it, and feel like I made the correct read but put the wrong play for one of them. I took the under in the Cardinals vs. Braves game, but the problem was the bullpen. The starting pitchers both did their job with only four runs allowed through five innings which would've cashed the first five under. The bullpens allowed nine runs combined. It happens, and I'll keep working to get better. Today we get a nice matchup between two strong clubs as the Padres take on the Tigers. The Padres are one of the best teams in baseball and frankly after years of trying to be just that, they seem to have found their groove. It is always a challenge to understand why a baseball team with talent is failing. Is it chemistry issues, management, or something else? In the case of San Diego, they always had talent and resources, but until last year, it didn't really all come together. Now they are 16-7, but have a losing road record. The offense has been good, pitching has been solid, but they will need to figure out winning on the road if they want sustained long-term success. To give them a chance at a road victory tonight is Nick Pivetta. He has been brilliant to start the season with a 3-1 record, 1.57 ERA, and a 0.83 WHIP. Pivetta was always fine with the Red Sox, but nothing spectacular. He has three quality starts for the year, and his lone loss he lasted just three innings and allowed three runs. It was, of course, his only road start this year. He has been fine against the Tigers in the past, holding them to a .250 batting average. The Tigers are a team that is a bit opposite of the Padres. They didn't spend a ton of money on free agents, and they haven't had a plethora or resources to try and fill the clubhouse. They have made a few trades over the past couple of years to try and help their outcome, and they signed Javier Baez as a "big name", but outside of that there hasn't been a ton of news. Instead, they seem to have grown their talent or acquired it early in careers as they moved other older players. Looks fairly successful to this point as they made the playoffs last year and have a good start to this campaign. One of the guys they traded for starts tonight, Jack Flaherty. Flaherty is having a great campaign with a 1-1 record, 2.53 ERA, and a 1.08 WHIP. The question was never about his stuff, it really is about consistency and injury with him. Padres hitters have done fairly well against him, batting almost .300 and over half of their hits have gone for extra-bases. This should be a pretty good pitching matchup. I'm a little bit concerned that Pivetta on the road will not be the same Pivetta at home, but I also am not really intimidated by the Tigers offense. They've been good enough, but I don't look at the lineup and wonder where outs will come from. This one should be a game the Padres can steal on the road. Back San Diego to take this one, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the under hit here too. For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024