The St. Louis Cardinals (87-61) take one of the highest-scoring offenses in MLB on the road to face the San Diego Padres (81-66) at Petco Park on Tuesday for the first of a three-game series. The Cardinals are playing their first of eight games on the road after wrapping up a seven-game homestand (4-3). They won three out of five in their last series against the Reds, dropping the finale 3-0 on Sunday at Busch Stadium. Yadier Molina was 1 for 3.The Padres are back home after a successful six-game road trip (4-2). They won three of four against the Diamondbacks in their last series, taking the finale 6-1 on Sunday at Chase Field. Juan Soto went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored two runs and drove in two.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Cardinals have won all three games this season between the teams, including a 5-2 victory in their most recent meeting on June 1 at Busch Stadium. Dakota Hudson went seven innings to get the win, giving up one run on four hits, and Nick Wittgren threw 0.1 scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the season.
ON THE MOUND
Adam Wainwright (11-9, 3.29 ERA) is slated to start for St. Louis. The RHP allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 4-1 road win over the Brewers on Wednesday. He was credited with the win, scattering eight hits while striking out three and walking two. Wainwright has made one previous start against the Padres this season, a 3-2 home victory on May 31. He allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 and walking one. RHP Mike Clevinger (5-7, 4.47 ERA) will take the mound for San Diego. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals. In his last start on Wednesday, Clevinger took the loss on the road against the Mariners. He threw five innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two in the 6-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The St. Louis offense is averaging 4.8 runs per game for the season, fourth best in the league, with a slash line of .254/.327/.424. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in OPS at 1.009. The first baseman is slashing .322/.411/.599 with 35 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 103 runs over 139 games. Over the last five games, though, St. Louis has averaged only 2.8 runs a game while slashing worse across the board (.178/.282/.257). Against right-handed pitchers like Clevinger this season, the Cards have a .732 OPS. Goldschmidt also is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .918 OPS in 417 at-bats. San Diego is slashing .240/.318/.382 for the season and averaging 4.4 runs per game. Manny Machado leads the team with a .895 OPS. The third baseman has 29 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 90 runs scored with a slash line of .296/.365/.531. The Padres have a .698 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .935 OPS over 294 at-bats, Soto has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 36-34 away from home in 2022, scoring 4.9 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs. San Diego has gone 38-31 at Petco Park this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. San Diego is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings at Petco Park with an average scoreline of 6.5-3.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by eight games over the Brewers. Their magic number to clinch the division is eight. The Padres are second in the NL West, 21 games behind the Dodgers. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting second.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (+100)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
