It’s been a blistering start to the season for the San Diego Padres, who find themselves squarely in the mix for the National League West.
The Padres, at 19-10, are 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, but ahead of Colorado and San Francisco, who are both 16-12 overall.
San Diego features an offense anchored by superstar third baseman Manny Machado, who has belted a team-high seven home runs and 21 RBIs to go with a .385 batting average. That’s propelled the Friars to the top 10 in the league in runs (eighth overall) and slugging percentage (seventh).
It’s also allowed the Padres to survive the loss of shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who fractured his wrist in a motorcycle wreck during the offseason.
The Padres look to expand on their hot start against the Chicago Cubs at 6:40 p.m. Pacific time Monday at home in the first of a three-game series.
Padres Among World Series Dark Horse Teams Early On
The Padres appear to have found their footing after a disappointing 79-83 finish to the 2021 regular season, catching the eye of oddsmakers.
California sports betting fans, however, must go to Nevada or Arizona to place wagers on the Padres postseason futures.
But sports betting will go before voters in November, with two different proposals on the ballot.
The Padres are listed at either +1500 or +1600 to win the 2022 World Series on a quartet of online sportsbooks (BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook), ranking anywhere from seventh to ninth in the 30-team league.
San Diego also finds itself among the front runners to win the National League pennant in 2022, with +800 odds on BetMGM, which is good for fifth in the 15-team league.
As for Monday’s series opener against the Cubs, the four operators have the Padres at -1.5, with moneyline odds ranging from -160 on Caesars Sportsbook to -175 on BetMGM.
Musgrove Inks Deal with Sycuan Casino Resort
Second-year Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove became the first member of the team to ink an endorsement deal with Sycuan Casino Resort last week, with the veteran soon to be featured in the operator’s marketing campaigns and promotions.
Musgrove, who’s posted a 15-9 record and a 4.0 WAR across two seasons in San Diego, called the pact a winning combination in a Sycuan press release.
“I am very excited for my new partnership with Sycuan Casino Resort,” Musgrove said in the press release. “Not only has Sycuan been a longtime supporter of the San Diego Padres, but they truly embody Padres baseball at their resort with their exclusive Padres Club Sycuan Card and an official Padres Hotel Suite not offered anywhere else. Being from San Diego myself, it’s really cool to be able to represent such a well-known local brand that is all about entertainment, fun and giving back to our community.”
The El Cajon native threw the Padres' first no-hitter in franchise history last season and is the perfect fit for Sycuan’s newest advertising campaign, GM Rob Cinelli said in the press release.
“We are thrilled to have the support of starting pitcher Joe Musgrove as our first MLB ambassador,” Cinelli said. “We knew he was the perfect fit for our brand because much like Sycuan, Joe has very strong ties to the local San Diego community.
“Joe grew up playing baseball not too far from the Sycuan Reservation and is now back in his hometown making Padres history. We are honored to have Joe as part of the Sycuan family and look forward to being able to offer our guests exclusive experiences through this new partnership.”
