The San Diego Padres (76-71) attempt to even their road series Saturday in the second game of a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals (77-69). First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium. Let’s analyze the lines around the Padres vs. Cardinals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Padres RHP Yu Darvish (8-10, 4.32 ERA) makes his 28th start. He has a 1.09 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 10.6 K/9 through 150 IP.
- Has allowed 4 or more earned runs in four of his last five starts. He gave up 8 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 4 innings at the San Francisco Giants Sept. 13.
- The Padres have lost seven of his last nine starts.
Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (16-7, 2.88 ERA) makes his 30th start. He has a 1.03 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 through 190 1/3 IP.
- His 16 wins are the most he has had in a season since he won 20 games in 2014.
- Has won his last five starts and nine of his last 10. The Cardinals have won 10 of his last 11 outings.
- Wainwright allowed 6 runs on 8 hits, including 3 home runs, over 4 innings in a 13-3 loss May 15 at the Padres.
Padres at Cardinals odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Padres +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Cardinals -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Padres -1.5 (+165) | Cardinals +1.5 (-205)
- Over/Under: 7.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Prediction
Cardinals 5, Padres 4
Money line (ML)
The Padres continue to struggle. After two wins in a row, they dropped the series opener 8-2 Friday. They have lost six of their last eight games and are a game and a half behind the Cardinals for the final NL Wild Card.
The Cardinals are hot. They have won six games in a row and eight of their last nine, and they have their ace on the mound. Wainwright has basically been an automatic win.
Take the CARDINALS (-120).
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
The game has an inverted line tonight with the Cardinals slightly favored on the money line but the Padres are the ATS favorites.
The Padres are 69-78 ATS and the Cardinals are 76-70 ATS.
The Cardinals have covered the spread in their last 12 wins and failed to cover the spread in 19 of their last 20 losses.
Expecting a Cardinals outright win, the ATS pick is easy. Take CARDINALS +1.5 (-205), but in this case, the better value comes from taking the money line favorite.
Over/Under (O/U)
With a low projected total, this seems like an easy choice, too.
The Padres’ last seven games and 11 of their last 14 have had totals of 8 or more runs.
10 of the last 16 games for the Cardinals have had 8 or more runs, too.
Seven of Darvish’s last eight starts have had 8 or more runs combined.
Take OVER 7.5 (-110).
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