by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Jul 22, 2026
Game Time: 7:15 pm ET, Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
Where to Watch: MLB TV
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline odds: Padres +100, Braves -120; Over/Under: 8.5 runs
Bet365: Moneyline odds: Padres +100, Braves -120; Over/Under: 8.5 runs
BetMGM: Moneyline odds: Padres +100, Braves -120; Over/Under: 8.5 runs
Season Record
San Diego Padres: 49-51 (3rd place, NL West)
Atlanta Braves: 58-41 (1st place, NL East)
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Recent Form
San Diego Padres: 5-5 last 10
Atlanta Braves: 6-4 last 10
San Diego Padres vs Atlanta Braves Preview and Analysis
The Padres are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-51 record overall and have a road record of 22-27. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Braves on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Padres lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 29th in the MLB with a .683 OPS. Walker Buehler is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Michael King is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 6-7 with a 3.34 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 4 hits through 5 IP against the Kansas City Royals.
The Braves are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Texas Rangers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 58-41 record overall and have a home record of 30-19. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Padres on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Braves won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .734 OPS. Reynaldo López is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Martín Pérez is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 6-6 with a 3.54 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 1 strikeout on 6 hits through 4.1 innings pitched against the New York Mets.
Padres vs Braves Prediction
The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 58-41 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 30-19 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Padres haven't looked great in their games this season with their 49-51 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL West. They haven't been a great road team either with their 22-27 road record this year. The Padres are 5-5 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately with one of the worst offenses in MLB. The Braves have a much stronger offense to lean on in this series and they have been getting hot lately, now 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have been dealing with some injuries to their pitching staff, but they are starting to get healthier now and will have some better arms available for this game. They have also looked a lot better at home this season while the Padres have had a lot of road troubles over the last few weeks. The Padres are going with King in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 6-7 with a 3.34 ERA, but the team hasn't had a ton of success with him lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but the team has lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting and they don't have a great offense to bail him out if he does have a bad start. The Braves offense has been getting really hot lately and they are the more reliable team here at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game.
Padres Braves Prediction: Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 22, 2026 (7:15 pm ET start time) is Braves 5 Padres 3.
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MLB Betting Trends
San Diego Padres: 45-38 (+6.5 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 238-197 (+19.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 111-107 (+10.3 units) on the moneyline in road games. 11-5 UNDER against NL East opponents.
Atlanta Braves: 35-51 (-31.4 units) on the moneyline against NL West opponents. 223-202 (-45.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 115-96 (-27.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 122-79 UNDER in home games.
Key Injuries
San Diego Padres: M. Andujar (DH) Ten Day IL - Wrist. S. Taylor (LF) Ten Day IL - Oblique. J. Adam (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. D. Morgan (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. L. Giolito (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Estrada (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. 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.
Atlanta Braves: M. Yastrzemski (LF) Ten Day IL - Elbow. M. Perez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Finger. R. Suarez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Acuna Jr. (RF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. S. Murphy (C) Sixty Day IL - Finger. A. Smith-Shawver (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.
Notable Quotes
“If you’re looking at just the Trade Deadline, yeah, these games are important. But I don’t think it’s like: The season’s over if you lose a game before the Trade Deadline. There are going to be 50 games past the Trade Deadline that are equally as important as these [next 12] games. So we’re focusing on finishing the season well -- not just to the Trade Deadline.” - Craig Stammen after his team’s loss against the Braves in their game on Monday.
“It’s great to see him throw the ball like he did tonight. That’s going to be great for us. If Bryce is who he has been, that’s a big shot in the arm for us.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s win against the Padres in their game on Monday.
Starting Lineups
San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
Jackson Merrill (L) CF
Manny Machado (R) 3B
Ty France (R) 1B
Gavin Sheets (L) LF
Xander Bogaerts (R) DH
Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B
Freddy Fermin (R) C
Sung-Mun Song (L) SS
Atlanta Braves
Drake Baldwin (L) DH
Ozzie Albies (S) 2B
Matt Olson (L) 1B
Austin Riley (R) 3B
Michael Harris II (L) CF
Mauricio Dubón (R) LF
Joey Bart (R) C
Jim Jarvis (L) SS
Eli White (R) RF
Statistical Leaders
San Diego Padres
Batting Average: Luis Rengifo (.556)
Hits: Fernando Tatis (109)
Home Runs: Manny Machado (20)
RBI: Manny Machado (57)
Stolen Bases: Fernando Tatis (25)
Wins: Adrian Morejon (7)
Saves: Mason Miller (25)
ERA: Mason Miller (0.89)
Atlanta Braves
Batting Average: Jair Camargo (.500)
Hits: Michael Harris (106)
Home Runs: Matt Olson (26)
RBI: Matt Olson (59)
Stolen Bases: Ronald Acuña (15)
Wins: Chris Sale (10)
Saves: Raisel Iglesias (19)
ERA: Hunter Stratton (0.00)
Managers:
San Diego Padres: Craig Stammen (1st season)
Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
