Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/07/2026

Game Time: 9:40 pm ET, Friday, August 7, 2026

Venue:  Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +102, Padres -123; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Padres -125; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros +105, Padres -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

Houston Astros:  59-57 (1st place, AL West)

San Diego Padres:  59-56 (3rd place, NL West)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Vegas Writer is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 29-18 MLB RUN for +$9,150 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Astros:  7-3 last 10

San Diego Padres:  7-3 last 10

The Astros are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-57 record overall and have a road record of 29-28. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Padres on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .738 OPS. Hunter Brown was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Ronel Blanco is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 5 hits through 4.2 IP against the Texas Rangers.

The Padres won their 4-game series against the San Francisco Giants 3-1. They enter this game with a 59-56 record overall and have a home record of 32-25. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Astros on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks still to be played on Thursday. The Padres lost the 1st game of that series on Monday, won the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .694 OPS. Walker Buehler is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Robbie Ray is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings pitched against the San Diego Padres.

The current betting odds have the Padres listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Padres have looked good in their games this season with their 59-56 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL West. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 32-25 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Astros have looked good in their games this season with their 59-57 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL West. They have been a good road team too with their 29-28 road record this year. The Astros were well under .500 just a few weeks ago and they have been rolling lately to take over the division, now 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Padres have also been rolling lately though, now 7-3 in their last 10 games too, and they made a big push to go for it at the trade deadline. The Padres are going with their new pick up in this one, starting Ray, and he has looked good this season. He is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs this year. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start which has been a common theme for him lately and the Giants even won their last 2 games with him starting. The Astros are going with Blanco in this one and he has looked terrible this season. He is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs in his few starts this year. The team has had more success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, but he did give up 3 earned runs which has been a common theme for him. He isn't going many innings in his starts either and the Padres have been putting up a ton of runs with their offense lately. Look for the Padres to take advantage of this pitching matchup at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Padres to win this game. 

Astros Padres Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 7, 2026 (9:40 pm ET start time) is Padres 8 Astros 4.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Astros San Diego Padres prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Houston Astros: 58-53 (-7.8 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 71-77 (-26.3 units) on the moneyline after 3 or more consecutive home games. 45-40 (-5.5 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 28-14 UNDER against NL West opponents.

San Diego Padres: 248-202 (+24.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 132-91 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 181-144 (+21 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 29-18 UNDER against AL West opponents.

Houston Astros:  B. Matthews (CF) Ten Day IL - Knee. M. Burrows (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Correa (SS) Sixty Day IL - Ankle. B. Walter (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

San Diego Padres:  G. Sheets (1B) Day To Day - Plantar Fasciitis. M. Andujar (DH) Ten Day IL - Wrist. S. Taylor (LF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. J. Adam (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. D. Morgan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. L. Giolito (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. R. Laureano (LF) Sixty Day IL - Hip. N. Pivetta (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Hoeing (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Musgrove (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“For the most part, our at-bats were good. We put some pressure on those guys, but they deployed the back end of the bullpen, and it’s pretty good.” - Joe Espada after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Wednesday. 

“For whatever reason, what he was throwing up there wasn’t matching our hitters’ swings and our eyes. His fastball was getting on us, definitely. It was a lot harder than what the scoreboard said it was.” - Craig Stammen after his team’s loss against the Diamondbacks in their game on Wednesday.

Jeremy Peña (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Taylor Trammell (L) RF

Christian Walker (R) 1B

LaMonte Wade Jr. (L) LF

Yainer Diaz (R) C

Nick Allen (R) 3B

Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) 2B

Luis Rengifo (S) LF

Manny Machado (R) 3B

Ty France (R) 1B

Jackson Merrill (L) CF

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Luis Campusano (R) C

Jake Cronenworth (L) DH

Jase Bowen (R) RF

Batting Average:  Yordan Alvarez (.329)

Hits:  Yordan Alvarez (136)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (35)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (85)

Stolen Bases:  Cam Smith (10)

Wins:  Peter Lambert (8)

Saves:  Josh Hader (15)

ERA:  Josh Hader (1.13)

Batting Average:  Gage Workman (.333)

Hits:  Fernando Tatis (124)

Home Runs:  Manny Machado (23)

RBI:  Manny Machado (69)

Stolen Bases:  Fernando Tatis (26)

Wins:  Adrian Morejon (8)

Saves:  Mason Miller (28)

ERA:  Mason Miller (0.76)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Joe Espada (3rd season)

San Diego Padres: Craig Stammen (1st season)