St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals (23-16, 11-8 away) take on the San Deigo Padres (22-17, 10-10 home) in game two of a three-game National League series. San Deigo took the opener, 5-4, on Friday night.

Saturday’s first pitch is at 8:40 p.m. EST inside Petco Park in San Diego, CA. According to oddsmakers, the Padres are favored (-155), while the run total is 7.

What to Know – St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis won four in a row last week but have fallen in two of their previous three since. The Cardinals wrap up a seven-game road swing on Sunday before returning to St. Louis for a five-game homestand. St. Louis sits atop the NL Central standings with an early three-game lead over Milwaukee.

The Cardinals get veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright (2-3, 3.80 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) on the bump. Wainwright’s pitched 42.2 innings this season, surrendering 18 earned runs with 32 strikeouts. The 39-year old was brilliant in his last start, going 8.1 innings allowing on runs, just three hits, and five strikeouts.

St. Louis averages 4.5 runs per game while batting .233 as a team. Third baseman Nolan Arenado has been an excellent addition to the team, as the slugger leads the Cardinals in batting average (.294), runs driven in (25), and tied for second in home runs (7) and third in runs scored (21). First baseman Paul Goldschmidt is also benefiting from Arenado’s arrival, as the veteran has six home runs, 22 RBIs, and leads the team with 24 runs scored.

What to Know – San Diego Padres

The Padres carry some momentum into the weekend after winning four of their last five contests. Saturday’s contest marks game two of a nine-game homestand for the Friars. The Padres are in second place in the NL West, 1.5 games behind San Francisco.

Right-hander Chris Paddack (1-3, 4.78 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) takes the hill for the host. The 25-year old has six starts this season, with none last longer than 5.1 innings. Paddack twirled 3.0 innings in his last appearance, scattering four hits, no runs, and striking out four.

San Diego scored 4.1 runs per game behind a team batting average of .231. The Padres will be without their star shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr., who tested positive for COVID-19 before Thursday’s game. Look for Manny Machado to pick up the slack as the third baseman leads the Padres with 24 RBIs and is second in home runs (5) and third runs scored (20).

The Pick is In

The Cardinals and Padres played a thriller on Friday night, with St. Louis mounting a near comeback victory in the eighth and ninth inning. Friday was the first meeting of the season between the two NL giants.

Paddack versus Wainwright is an enticing matchup, as both starters have shown flashes of elite-level pitching in the past. The lineups are two of the best in the majors, and even with the absence of Tatis, the Padres have shown the ability to score runs in bunches.

Both starters were lights out in their previous starts, so you can expect some regression here and take the over.

The Pick: San Diego/St. Louis Over 7