Padres vs. Red Sox: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

The San Diego Padres take on the Boston Red Sox on Friday, for the first of three games set to take place at Petco Park over the weekend. Coming into this one, the San Diego Padres are second in the NL West, with a 64-51 record, while the Red Sox are second in the AL East with a 64-52 record.

Let's take a look at the odds and how the action might play out on the field.

Padres vs Red Sox prediction

Taking the mound for the hosts is Nick Pivetta, who has been the ace of an injury-hit San Diego pitching staff this season, boasting an 11-3 record, along with a 2.73 ERA and 136 total strikeouts.

St. Louis Cardinals v San Diego Padres - Source: Getty

Offensively, the likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Xander Bogaerts have been performing well for the hosts of late.

For the Red Sox, veteran Walker Buehler makes his latest start. Since making the move to Boston in the offseason, Buehler has struggled, pitching with a 6-6 record, along with a 5.74 ERA and 71 total strikeouts.

From an offensive standpoint, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story and Alex Bregman are the key players for the visitors.

Despite the Red Sox being 7-1 in their last eight, the pitching matchup heavily favors San Diego in this one, and the Friars should be able to get the series started with an important win.

Prediction: San Diego Padres 5, Boston Red Sox 4

Odds

Money Line: San Diego Padres -164, Boston Red Sox +138

Run Line: San Diego -1.5 (+119), Red Sox +1.5 (-147)

Total Runs: Over 7.5 (-130), Under 7.5 (+106)

Injury report

San Diego injuries:

Jhony Brito: 60-day IL (Forearm)
Michael King: 60-day IL (Shoulder)
Joe Musgrove: 60-day IL (Elbow)

Red Sox injuries:

Marcelo Mayer: 10-day IL (Wrist)
Triston Casas: 60-day IL (Knee)
Justin Slaten: 60-day IL (Shoulder)
Josh Winckowski: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Luis Guerrero: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Kutter Crawford: 60-day IL (Knee)
Patrick Sandoval: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Liam Hendriks: 60-day IL (Hip)
Tanner Houck: 60-day IL (Flexor)
Hunter Dobbins: 60-day IL (ACL)

Expert's picks

Most Nick Pivetta starts have resulted in wins for San Diego this season, and that trend should continue, especially with how lopsided the pitching matchup appears for this one. However, expect the Red Sox's red-hot offense to keep things close.

Money Line: San Diego Padres -164

Run Line: Red Sox +1.5 (-147)

Total Runs: Over 7.5 (-130)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Ribin Peter

Padres vs. Red Sox: Game 1, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - August 8, MLB 2025