The Houston Astros and San Diego Padres will get nighttime treatment on Sunday as they wrap up a three-game series in San Diego. It is the rubber match after the Padres bounced back from a 6-3 loss on Friday with a 3-2 victory on Saturday.
With Sunday's contest set for 8:20 pm ET on NBC, it’s time to break down the matchup and discuss the best bets to make.
Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres betting picks and predictions
San Diego Padres ML (-123)
The Padres got hot just in time to be buyers at the trade deadline. They went on an 8-1 run in late July and early August, now entering this contest with 11 wins in their last 15 games. The National League West is obviously long gone in favor of Los Angeles, but San Diego trails Philadelphia by just one game for the third and final wild-card spot.
Jackson Merrill, Ty France and Fernando Tatis Jr. have been outstanding since the all-star break. During this stretch, Merrill is batting .333 with seven home runs, 20 RBIs and four stolen bases; France checks in at .337 with five homers and 17 RBIs; Tatis is hitting .301 while providing five dingers, 16 RBIs and three stolen bases.
All three should be in line for more success at the expense of Houston starter Cristian Javier. The right-hander is saddled with a 6.59 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in addition to a terrible 23-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio through an abbreviated 27.1 innings of work.
Both Tatis and Manny Machado have gone deep off Cristian in a combined nine lifetime at-bats.
Over 9.0 (-110)
Both of these teams are in stellar form at the moment, largely thanks to consistent offenses. Houston has won 13 of its last 17 games to take over the top spot in the AL West, although it has also lost three of its last five.
In those 13 victories, the Astros have scored at least five runs on 11 occasions. Meanwhile, the Padres have crossed the plate at least five times in eight of their last 10 wins.
Neither starting pitcher on Sunday inspires any confidence. Opposing Javier is San Diego’s Randy Vasquez, who comes in with a 4.19 ERA and a dreadful 1.42 WHIP, plus he has been worse at home (4.91 ERA) than on the road (3.54) in 2026.
For Houston, shortstop Jeremy Pena is batting .338 with seven homers, 15 RBIs and 19 runs scored since the all-star break. The over is 7-2 in the Astros’ last nine overall. Look for that trend to continue.
Xander Bogaerts Over 0.5 hits (-150)
Bogaerts has struggled to the tune of .223 batting average in 2026. However, the veteran shortstop has already delivered three multi-hit performances in the month of August.
Asking him to get just a single base knock on Sunday should not be too much. Bogaerts is 3-for-9 lifetime against Javier with three doubles.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.
Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres odds
Houston Astros | +113 |
San Diego Padres | -123 |
Run Line | SD -1.5 |
Total | O/U 9.0 |
Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres player props
Player Home Run odds
Yordan Alvarez (HOU Astros) | +235 |
Christian Walker (HOU Astros) | +425 |
Daulton Varsho (HOU Astros) | +550 |
Manny Machado (SD Padres) | +325 |
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD Padres) | +350 |
Jackson Merrill (SD Padres) | +425 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
