New York Mets vs. San Diego Padres:

The San Diego Padres and the New York Mets are in the thick of the National League Playoff picture. They have a crucial matchup in San Diego on Friday.

Joe Musgrove gets the pitching start for the Padres. Musgrove missed the entire months of June and July due to injury. In two starts back, he appears to be back in peak form with only one run allowed across 8 2/3 innings.

Musgrove went 4 1/3 innings in both starts and does not have the pressure of needing to go deep into games. The Padres traded for Tanner Scott and Jason Adam at the trade deadline to bolster the bullpen.

Since July 30, the Padres have the National League’s best bullpen ERA at 2.46 entering Thursday’s series opener. The Mets entered the series with a 3.57 ERA in this span, ranking 11th among the 30 MLB teams.

Paul Blackburn, a trade deadline acquisition, will make the start for the Mets. He looks to build off allowing two runs or fewer in three of his first four starts with the Mets.

Overall this season, Blackburn has a 4.19 ERA and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Between his time with the Athletics and Mets, he has a 5.59 road ERA and more than 1.9 home runs per nine innings allowed.

Blackburn faces a Padres offense that leads the league with a .273 batting average against right-handed pitching. They are third in the National League in on-base plus slugging against right-handed pitchers.

While the Mets are averaging nearly five runs per game in road games this season, they are averaging closer to 4.7 runs per game since the All-Star Break while the Padres are second in the National League with over 5.6 runs per game since the break.

Blackburn’s road struggles and the Padres’ improved bullpen mean San Diego will get a big win on Friday in their quest to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

MLB Pick: San Diego Padres -125

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