Padres-Mets matchup is prime opportunity

When scoping the baseball landscape for this Friday evening, the game that rises above the rest is Padres vs. Mets. Both teams are inside the top five for best odds to represent the National League in the World Series, and both currently are in the top four in the NL standings.

We have a marquee matchup greeting us on the mound, with Yu Darvish getting the start for San Diego and Max Scherzer for New York. Both pitchers have WHIPs below 1.00 and have had strong seasons striking out batters and limiting runs.

Following Yu Darvish's last start against the Mets — We're a sucker for following past matchups, and Darvish tossed a gem against New York a little over a month ago. In seven innings pitched, Darvish held the Mets to just two hits, no walks and no runs, striking out six. New York is hitting below average against RHP in the past 30 days (18th-highest BA), and Darvish has been piling up strikeouts in his past few starts. The Padres hurler is averaging 7.8 Ks per game in his last five starts, momentum we want to follow.

Max Scherzer ain't no slouch, either — Now sure, Scherzer hasn't faced the Padres yet this season, but few pitchers are tossing it as well as Scherzer has been of late. The Mets righty has allowed 2+ earned runs in just three of his past 10 starts. San Diego owns the eighth-lowest batting average vs. RHP in the past 30 days, suggesting to us that the Friars may struggle tonight.

Our betting approach — On one end, Darvish showed the ability to slow down New York before. On the other, Scherzer has been displaying lights-out pitching. Perhaps you see where this is going, but our attention is on a tight showing. It's low, but we feel it's here for good reason. We're betting under 6.5 runs at +100.

In other news ...

3M Open offers betting opportunity for your weekend golf fix — While the field may lack your typical big names, golf is still available for us to both watch and wager on for the weekend. The 3M Open has seen big opening rounds from Scott Piercy and Sungjae Im, though by the time you're reading this, the leaderboard likely looks a bit different. We're liking Im's odds to land in the top 5 as one of the most accomplished golfers on the course this weekend. You can bet that at +130.

Kyler Murray signs massive extension with the Cardinals — After an offseason full of contract and social media drama, quarterback Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a five-year extension for the young passer. Murray signed a five-year, $230.5M contract; Arizona has committed to building around Kyler. The news didn't do much for the Cardinals' betting odds; Arizona is +3500 to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season.

Kirby Smart signs new contract with Georgia — After bringing home a National Championship win, Kirby Smart is staying with Georgia football. Smart cashed in big time, signing a 10-year extension worth $112.5M. College football season will be here before we know it, and the Bulldogs own the third-best odds to win it all this year at +400. Alabama, as you likely could have guessed, is the favorite to win the National Championship at +175.

Jimmy Garoppolo could be on the move soon — It would be a surprise if the 49ers offense isn't run by Trey Lance this year after the bounty that San Francisco surrendered to secure his talents. The latest news would confirm that assumption, as Jimmy Garoppolo has been granted permission to find a suitable trade partner. While Jimmy G isn't considered one of the top quarterbacks, he's a manageable stopgap for teams in a bind. A few that come to mind include Seattle, Atlanta and maybe Cleveland if Deshaun Watson is suspended for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, if you think Lance has himself a coming-out year, we see his MVP odds sitting at a juicy +5000 right now.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll