The St. Louis Cardinals will square off against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park. Fox Sports San Diego will televise this NL matchup and the opening pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres Odds
San Diego (+115) is coming into this one as the underdog against St. Louis (-125) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 8.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the games total sit at +100 for the over and -120 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the games spread with the current runline odds standing at +120 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs and -140 for the Padres +1.5 runs.
The Padres are only 15-26 SU and 17-23 ATS. They’ve lost 7.2 units for moneyline bettors and 12.3 units against the spread (ATS). San Diego has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals have gone 22-15 SU this year and are 18-18 ATS. In total, the teams accumulated 4.0 units for moneyline bettors over the early part of the season, but have lost 0.8 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
San Diego games have had an over/under record of 18-20-2 so far in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 15-18-3.
The right-handed Adam Wainwright will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. Wainwright is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA and 12 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Padres this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Padres will turn to lefty Clayton Richard (1-5, 5.72 ERA), who has 40 strikeouts and 20 walks as well as a 1.58 WHIP. Richard made two starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 1-0 record in 2017, compiling a 1-0 record with a 3.09 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
As a unit, San Diego’s pitchers have allowed 4.9 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have an ERA of 5.16, a WHIP of 1.59 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.6. The bullpen has a 3.14 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 9.7 K/9.
The San Diego hitters have put up 3.7 runs per outing, including 2.9 per game over its last 10 games and 2.0 per game over their last five. The team has hit .201/.270/.296 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Padres offense has been led by first baseman Eric Hosmer and right fielder Franchy Cordero. Hosmer is hitting .261/.360/.465 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and 18 runs scored, and Cordero’s line is .269/.345/.490 with six homers, 16 RBIs, 14 runs and five stolen bases.
Hosmer seemed to enjoy hitting righties at home last season. Over 221 such plate appearances, he slashed .354/.439/.615 (compared to his total season line of .318/.385/.498).
In the other dugout, St. Louis pitching staff allowed 3.7 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 7.74 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.61, along with a K-per-9 of 8.35.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .231/.319/.386 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.4 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 2.6 per game over the teams last five contests (2-3 SU).
St. Louis offensive production been powered by right fielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Paul DeJong, who collectively have blasted 15 home runs. Pham is slashing .327/.437/.566 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, 27 runs and seven stolen bases, while DeJong is hitting .268/.344/.493 with eight homers, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .340/.431/.611 across 283 plate appearances, Pham seemed to enjoy hitting on the road in 2017 (compared to his overall season slash line of .306/.411/.520).
The Cardinals have gained 4.6 units and are 8-3 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in five of those games, as opposed to six that’ve hit the under against lefties. On the other hand, the Padres have lost 8.0 units and are 11-15 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 11 of those games, compared to 13 that’ve gone under.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- St. Louis has recorded 18 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 17 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games. The Padres have hit six over their last 10.
