San Diego Padres vs New York Mets Picks and Prediction for Wednesday August 19, 2026

The San Diego Padres visit Citi Field in Queens, New York, to face the New York Mets on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET, with coverage on MLB.TV. San Diego enters the matchup at 67-59 overall and 30-33 on the road, while New York is 57-69 overall and 29-34 at home. The Mets won the opening game of this series 2-1 and have now won four straight games. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Bettors looking for more baseball analysis can check out our free MLB picks throughout the season.

Starting Pitchers

Michael King gets the start for San Diego and enters at 8-8 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 142.1 innings. He has allowed 113 hits and 56 walks while striking out 124 and surrendering 17 home runs. New York counters with Robert Stock, who is 0-2 with a 6.57 ERA and 1.86 WHIP through 12.1 innings. Stock has allowed 15 hits and eight walks while recording 13 strikeouts, giving San Diego a clear statistical edge in both workload and run prevention from the starting pitching position.

Padres Have a Major Edge on the Mound

San Diego enters Wednesday at 67-59 overall and 30-33 away from home. The Padres are 3-2 over their last five games, although they dropped the series opener in New York by a 2-1 score. Before that loss, San Diego won three of four, including a 5-0 victory over Cleveland and a 7-5 win in the same series. Their recent results have been uneven offensively, but the Padres have remained competitive because of relatively stable pitching.

For the season, San Diego is batting .238 with a .315 on-base percentage and .388 slugging percentage. The Padres have scored 536 runs on 986 hits while hitting 140 home runs. Their pitching staff owns a 4.07 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, while opponents are batting .244. San Diego has issued 435 walks while recording 1,022 strikeouts.

The biggest strength for San Diego in this matchup is the starting pitching advantage. The Padres have not been a dominant offensive team, but they do not necessarily need to be if they can keep New York's scoring under control early. With the better starter and slightly stronger season-long offensive numbers in batting average and on-base percentage, San Diego has a favorable statistical setup.

Mets Bring a Four-Game Winning Streak Into the Finale

New York enters the game at 57-69 overall and 29-34 at Citi Field. The Mets are 4-1 over their last five games and have won four consecutive contests. They opened this series with a 2-1 victory over San Diego after sweeping three straight games from Washington by scores of 4-1, 5-4 and 4-3. The Mets have not been producing huge offensive totals during the streak, but they have consistently done enough to win close games.

The Mets are batting .236 with a .307 on-base percentage and .389 slugging percentage. New York has scored 525 runs on 996 hits while hitting 152 home runs. The pitching staff carries a 4.07 ERA and slightly better 1.30 WHIP, while opponents are batting .238. New York has struck out 1,131 opposing hitters while issuing 447 walks.

New York's recent form is clearly its strongest argument in this matchup. The Mets have won four straight and have allowed only nine total runs during that stretch. However, Wednesday presents a much more difficult starting pitching matchup than the club has faced in some of those recent wins, and that could put greater pressure on an offense averaging fewer runs than San Diego over the full season.

San Diego Padres vs New York Mets Picks and Prediction

Pick: San Diego Padres Moneyline

San Diego is the preferred side in this matchup because of the substantial starting pitching advantage. The Padres enter with the better overall record and have the more established starter, while New York's projected starter has struggled badly through limited innings with a 6.57 ERA and 1.86 WHIP. The Mets are playing their best baseball of the recent stretch, but San Diego's edge on the mound should give the Padres a strong opportunity to even the series.

Pick: Under 8.5

Take the under if the total is set at 8.5. San Diego has played several lower-scoring games recently, including a 2-1 loss and a 5-0 victory, while New York has allowed only nine runs over its four-game winning streak. The Mets' starting pitching numbers create some risk, but San Diego's starter has a 3.41 ERA and has been dependable over a substantial workload. With neither offense ranking as especially productive based on the supplied season numbers, the under is the stronger total angle.

This game preview was completed prior to play on Tuesday.