Michael King is starting for the Padres on Thursday, and he is facing off against Sonny Gray and the Cardinals. The game is set to get started at 2:15 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and the Cardinals are the slight favorite on the money line (-107).
The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the game will be televised on BSMW. The Padres are 3rd in the NL West, while the Cardinals are 3rd in the NL Central.
San Diego vs. St. Louis Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Padres at Cardinals
- Where: Busch Stadium St. Louis
- Date: Thursday, August 29th
- Betting Odds SD -112 | STL -107 O/U 8
Padres vs Cardinals Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs Padres series. St. Louis went into the matchup as +104 underdogs and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The Cardinals had a big 4th inning, scoring all four of their runs, and the Padres could only muster one run in the 8th inning.
Andre Pallante got the start for the Cardinals, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out three. Ryan Helsley got the win out of the bullpen, and Robert Suarez took the loss for San Diego.
Paul Goldschmidt was the only Cardinals hitter to have more than one hit, as he went 3/4 with an RBI. Nolan Arenado and Masyn Winn each had two hits and drove in a run.
Padres Preview
San Diego has been a solid bet against the run line this season, with a 70-65 record overall and a 43-23 mark on the road. As underdogs, they are 35-15 vs. the run line. The Padres are 76-59 overall and trail the Dodgers by four games in the NL West.
In this series vs. the Cardinals, the Padres have won two out of three games. Overall, they have a 26-14-4 series record this season. The average combined run total in Padres games this year is 9.0 runs per game, and the O/U line for today's game is set at 8 runs.
Michael King will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing his last time out, as he gets the start for the Padres today vs. the Cardinals. In that outing vs. the Mets, he took the loss, giving up five runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had picked up the win in two straight starts, not allowing a run in either outing. King has made 25 starts this year and has a record of 11-7 with a 3.14 ERA. His WHIP for the season is 1.18, and opponents are batting .215 off the right-hander this year.
Heading into today's game, the Padres are the top hitting team in the league, batting a collective .266. They are also averaging 4.8 runs per game and have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. San Diego's offense has also done a good job of avoiding strikeouts, as they are the league's top team in this category. They are also near the top of the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Over the past eight games, both Luis Arraez and Manny Machado have been swinging the bat well, with Arraez going 14/35 and Machado going 10/29. Machado is also on a four-game hitting streak. Machado comes into the game with 22 homers, which is the best mark on the team and 15th in the league. Jurickson Profar has also been a big power threat for the Padres, as he has 21 homers this season and is batting .285.
Cardinals Preview
St. Louis has an overall series record of 21-18-4 and has won two straight series. They are 35-32 at home and 31-35 on the road. The Cardinals are 13-8 as home underdogs this season and have an average run differential of -0.5 runs per game.
Currently, the Cardinals are 3rd in the NL Central, a half-game behind the Cubs for the 2nd spot. They trail the Brewers by 10.5 games in the division and have a 66-67 overall record. In run line betting, they are 44-23 as underdogs and 21-45 as favorites.
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Twins. In that start, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. Leading up to that outing, Gray had given up at least two home runs in three straight starts. Gray's overall record is 11-9, and he has an ERA of 4.07. Looking at his home/away splits, Gray is 7-5 at home with a 2.93 ERA compared to 4-4 on the road with a 5.97 ERA. Opponents are batting .222 off Gray this season.
Heading into today's game, the Cardinals are 24th in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.1 runs per game. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .247, which is 8th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in slugging percentage. However, their isolated power number is just 20th in the league. St. Louis has three players with at least 20 homers, led by Alec Burleson, who has gone deep 21 times this season.
Paul Goldschmidt has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/23 in his last six games, including one home run. He is also on a four-game hitting streak. Masyn Winn is also on a three-game hitting streak and has gone 15/34 in his last eight games. Overall, Winn is batting .286 for the season, and his 11 homers is 6th on the team.
Padres vs. Cardinals Prediction: Padres ML -112
We are predicting a 5-4 win for the Padres, and with the money line sitting at -112, that is the way we recommend playing this one. The Cardinals have a lower chance of winning, and we actually have the Padres finishing with a better record than the Cardinals this season.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Michael King finishing with five strikeouts compared to Sonny Gray with six. However, we have Gray finishing with a better ERA than King, but we still have the Padres coming out on top.
