Let's cut to the chase, even though saying "Well folks" before the important stuff is against my nature.
We've got an interesting baseball matchup on our hands with the Houston Astros visiting the land of sun and surf to take on the San Diego Padres. This showdown is set to take place at Petco Park, which is no picnic for batters, a fact that should delight our two starting pitchers, Spencer Arrighetti with his 11.2 K/9 for the Astros and the Padres' Yu Darvish spinning his magical 8.9 K/9 rate like it's another day in the office.
Moving onto batter talk, Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubon are the main men for the Astros with palpable averages while Manny Machado swings the hot bat for the Padres. And let's not forget Luis Arraez who's been more than handy with the bat this season for San Diego.
In the recent past, the Padres have had a stronger showing with a 85-65 win-loss ratio compared to the Astros' 81-68 record. However, the Astros seem to have uncorked a secret recipe when it comes to playing against the Padres, given their recent head to head results. If you're one to enjoy a bit of drama, well, it doesn't get better than this--both teams coming off recent wins and both itching to stretch their season a little farther.
Looking at all the stats, and believe me, my job isn't as glamorous as it sounds, it would be a safe bet to wager that the Padres will utilize their home park advantage and come out on top in this game.
Albert’s Prediction: San Diego Padres by 2