Seattle Mariners @ San Diego Padres - May 18, 2025

As a seasoned bettor, I’ve learned that within the world of Major League Baseball, each game tells its own story. Today’s matchup at Petco Park between the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres is no different. The air is thick with anticipation as both teams take to the diamond on Sunday.

The Mariners come into this contest sporting a record of 25-19, while the Padres hold a slightly better mark at 27-17. Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance and occasional stumbles, but today’s focus will be on the two starting pitchers: Bryan Woo for Seattle and Michael King for San Diego.

Woo, with his solid 4-1 record and a 2.84 ERA, has proven himself to be a formidable opponent on the mound. But when you dig deeper into those numbers—particularly his strikeout rate—there’s an inconsistency that raises some eyebrows. His strikeouts sit just above 8 per game, which isn’t terrible but isn’t elite either. He’s capable of getting batters out but might struggle against an eager Padres lineup that’s been known to capitalize on any mistakes.

On the flip side, King boasts an impressive record of 4-1 as well but with an even lower ERA of 2.32—a stat that’s hard to overlook when considering how effective he has been at keeping runs off the board. With nearly 9 strikeouts per game under his belt, he seems more than ready to match up against Seattle’s hitters who are currently averaging only .231 at the plate.

When it comes to batting stats for these two squads, there’s not much separating them in terms of runs scored; Seattle averages about 4.8 runs per game compared to San Diego’s approximate 4.7. However, it’s worth noting that while both teams are showing decent offensive output, their batting averages suggest they’re vulnerable in clutch situations—especially Seattle with that subpar .231 average.

Betting wise? Oddsmakers opened San Diego as -143 favorites for good reason; they’ve shown resilience even in recent losses but have also struggled recently with a 2-4 record in their last six games overall. Meanwhile, the Mariners surprised many by besting them last time out—a loss that surely stings for San Diego fans.

Given these factors combined—the pitching duel favoring King somewhat along with home-field advantage—I can see why many would lean toward picking the Padres today as they look for redemption after yesterday’s defeat against Seattle.

In terms of Over/Under set at 7.5 runs? With both offenses likely trying to find their rhythm and given what we know about each team’s tendencies lately (specifically those OVERs from previous games), I’m inclined to think we’ll see fireworks here today—taking it over seems like a reasonable bet.

So my prediction? I’m betting on San Diego taking this one home while anticipating more runs than expected across both lineups tonight!