Padres vs. Astros Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Friday, April 18

Iain MacMillan | Apr 18, 2025

The Padres are road underdogs against the Astros on Friday night. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have burst out to a strong 15-4 start, sitting in first place in the NL West. Now, they head to Houston to take on the Astros in a three-game interleague series over the weekend.

The Astros haven't got off to as hot a start, sitting at 8-10 through the first three weeks of play. Can they find some momentum tonight? Let's find out what the oddsmakers think.

Padres vs. Astros Odds, Run Line, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line

• Padres +1.5 (-155)
• Astros -1.5 (+130)

Moneyline

• Padres +136
• Astros -162

Total

• 9 (Over -120/Under +100)

Padres vs. Astros How to Watch

• Date: Friday, April 18
• Game Time: 8:10 PM EST
• Venue: Daikin Park
• How to Watch (TV): Padres.TV, Space City Home Network
• Padres Record: 15-4
• Astros Record: 8-10

Padres vs. Astros Probable Pitchers

• San Diego: Kyle Hart, LHP (2-0, 5.40 ERA)
• Houston: Ryan Gusto, RHP (1-1, 3.00 ERA)

Padres vs. Astros Best Prop Bet

• Ryan Gusto UNDER 3.5 Strikeouts (+120) via FanDuel

The San Diego Padres lead the Majors in strikeout percentage through the first three weeks, striking out on just 17.5% of their plate appearances. That's going to set up Ryan Gusto for a tough night in the strikeout department.

Padres vs. Astros Prediction and Pick

In today's edition of "Walk-Off Wagers", I broke down why I'm backing the Padres as significant underdogs tonight:

This is my favorite underdog bet of the day. I think the Padres get the job done on the road.

Why are the Padres underdogs in this game? San Diego enters tonight leading the Majors in batting average (.274) and rank fourth in OPS (.765). The Astros rank 26th (.216) and 27th (.618) in those two respective categories.

In terms of pitching, the Padres bullpen has been the best in the Majors through the first three weeks of the season, sporting a bullpen ERA of 1.52. The Astros aren't far behind, but still have a bullpen ERA of almost double at 2.94.

So, the Astros must have a significant advantage when it comes to starting pitchers, right? Not so fast. Kyle Hart has a worse ERA than Ryan Gusto, 5.40 compared to 3.00, but Hart's 2-0 record shows the Padres can still win with him on the mound.

Pick: Padres +124

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