San Diego Padres vs. Cleveland Guardians May 3 Betting Preview

Two second place teams will square off in an interleague battle as the San Diego Padres (15-8, 2nd in NL West) take on the Cleveland Guardians (10-12, 2nd in AL Central). The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

The Padres come into this one having won seven of their last 10. They took two of three in their last series with the Pirates including a 5-2 victory on Sunday.

After losing seven in a row, the Guardians bounced back with a sweep of the Athletics over the weekend. On Sunday, they took down Oakland 7-3.

Triston McKenzie was strong in the win, going 6.1 innings, allowing no runs and striking out seven. The Guardians pounded out nine hits in the win.

Padres vs. Guardians May 3rd Betting Odds

The Padres are the favorite in this one despite playing on the road. They are -148 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +126. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-140), and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

The Padres will send out a familiar face for Cleveland fans as Mike Clevinger makes his season debut. In fact, this will be Clevinger’s first start since having Tommy John surgery and missing all of last season.

The Guardians will counter with righty Zach Plesac. This season, Plesac is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched.

Padres Look To Stay Red Hot On The Road

At 15-8, the Padres are off to a fantastic start. Given that the NL West is the only division in baseball where everyone has double digit wins, the Padres will have to stay hot to stay towards the top of one of the most competitive divisions in baseball.

Luckily for Padres’ fans, they have been fantastic on the road. In fact, they are 9-4 away from Petco Park and will look to add another road win Tuesday.

Leading the offense for San Diego is first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Manny Machado. Hosmer is hitting .382/.447/.579 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in while Machado is hitting .375/.440/.591 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in.

Guardians Continue To Be Feast Or Famine

The Guardians have either dominated or been dominated with little in between thus far. In fact, they have had six straight series where they have either swept their opponent or have been swept. After sweeping the A’s, they will try to continue their winning ways against San Diego.

Despite their inconsistencies, the Guardians still sit in the top third in runs per game. Entering play Tuesday, they rank 10th in scoring averaging 4.59 runs per game. Unfortunately, they have not been as strong at Progressive Field to date averaging just 3.83 runs at home.

Their offensive leader continues to be third baseman Jose Ramirez. He is currently hitting .341/.421/.707 with seven home runs, 28 runs batted in, and 13 runs scored. He leads the team in home runs and runs batted in while tied for the lead (with Owen Miller) in runs scored.

Guardians Try To Spoil Clevinger’s Return

Not only is this Clevinger’s return to the mound after over a year, but it is also his return to Cleveland after being traded back in the 2020 season. On Tuesday, the Guardians will try to spoil the return and take the opener.

Cleveland has struggled in interleague play as of late going just 2-6 in their last eight games. Furthermore, they are just 1-6 in their last seven games against the NL West.

Still, expect Clevinger to not go too deep into this game as the Padres try to ease him back. If the Guardians can get into San Diego’s bullpen early, it may help them not only in Tuesday’s game, but could have positive ramifications for the whole series.