Padres vs Cardinals Prediction, Pick and Preview, September 18 (9/18): MLB

Padres vs Cardinals Prediction, Pick and Preview, September 18 (9/18): MLB

Credit: photo by Benny Seiu-USA TODAY Sports

 

Odds
Time 9:45 p.m. EST
Padres money line +102
Padres run line -1.5 (-215)
Cardinals money line -120
Cardinals run line -1.5 (+171)
Over / under 7.5 (-115)

 

Key stats
  Padres Cardinals
Record 76-71 77-69
Road / home record 35-41 38-32
Last 10 record 4-6 7-3
Streak L3 W6
Over / under record 68-58-5 57-70-4
Runs / game 5.13 4.88
Runs allowed / game 4.04 4.37

 

Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres will play game two of their three-game set this evening. The Cards had a big first inning and never looked back last night, en route to a 8-2 victory. 

The Padres stopped the bleeding for just a second, but took another tough loss last night. It's hard to believe the NL West was a three-horse race at some point, as San Diego's post-All Star break skid continues. The Pads now sit two games behind the Cards, so tonight and tomorrow will be vital to how their season ends.

The Cardinals have their stride at the right time. After defeating San Diego last night, St. Louis has won eight of their past nine games. They've been rewarding, as they've covered the run line five times during their current six-game win streak. They now hold the final NL Wild Card playoff spot, but with seven games left against Milwaukee, they need to keep this momentum going.

Pitching matchup

Padres

Yu Darvish (8-12, 4.32 ERA) will get the call for San Diego. The ninth-year pitcher has remained healthy, but he hasn't enjoyed the best season. He was roughed up in his last start in San Francisco, and that's been somewhat a common theme for him on the road since the Break. Darvish has given up four or more runs in his last five road starts, and he gave up in eight in the Bay on Monday.

Cardinals

Adam Wainwright (16-7, 2.88 ERA) will get the home start for St. Louis. It's been a vintage season for the 15th-year pitcher. His 16 wins mark his highest total since his last All-Star season in 2014. He's won his last six starts and has only given up more than two runs twice in his last eight outings. He lasted eight innings against the Dodgers en route to a win, and in the home start prior to that, Wainwright struck out nine of eight strikeout innings against the Pirates.

Prediction

As solid as the matchup on the mound appears, Wainwright recent stretch of dominance can't be ignored here. He's pitching some of the best baseball in his career right now during this playoff push, and he's been in much better form than his counterpart this evening. Darvish finished as a runner-up for the Cy Young Award last year, but he's been a shell of himself this season, and even worse on the road recently. Throw in the Cards overal recent stretch of play, and we're sold on them at home tonight. Take St. Louis' run line, as the -172 feels kind of hefty.

PICK: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+172) 

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