NYY
SDThe Yankees are rolling into San Diego on a two-game winning streak while the Padres are scrapping to hang onto the final NL Wild Card spot. Friday's set at Petco pits a team that's clicking against one that badly needs it to stay that way.
Yankees -120New York's priced as the clear favorite here, and the recent form backs it up — this is a team clicking on both sides of the ball even with a couple of big bats still out. San Diego's desperation at home is real, but it hasn't been enough to stop a five-game skid that's mostly gone the wrong way.
Max Fried gets the ball for New York, and Walker Buehler starts for San Diego, with first pitch at Petco Park set for 6:40 PM PT. It's a matchup of a proven ace working through a health scare against a Padres rotation piece the team desperately needs to give them length.
Fried has a 2.80 ERA on the season, but he's been on a short pitch-count leash since returning from a second stint on the injured list for a bone bruise in his left elbow, throwing just 63 pitches across 3.2 innings in his last start. San Diego, meanwhile, is without Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and Lucas Giolito — all three on the 60-day IL — which has forced Buehler into more starts than the Padres probably wanted from a pitcher who's had real ups and downs this year.
The stakes cut differently on each side. New York is playing loose after taking care of business against Boston and the Angels, while San Diego is trying to keep the Diamondbacks from snatching the last playoff berth in the National League. That gap in urgency is part of why the market has the Yankees favored, even on the road.
