The Cardinals (67-86, 34-41 away) travel to take on the Padres (75-78, 42-36 home) in game one of this National League matchup. Dakota Hudson is getting the start for the Cardinals while Matt Waldron is starting for the Padres. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres showdown at PETCO Park.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS SAN DIEGO PADRES BETTING PICK

The Pick: San Diego Padres -1.5 Runs

This game will be played at PETCO Park at 9:40 ET on Friday, September 22nd.

WHY BET THE SAN DIEGO PADRES:

  • Against the runline, the Padres have gone 6-4 in their ten games at home.
  • The Padres are 2-1 against the runline in their three most recent games as the favorite.
  • Opponents are hitting a healthy .342 against Dakota Hudson in his last three starts.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are 5th in the NL Central on an overall record of 67-86. So far, they have played in 48 series, and are below .500 at 19-24-5. This season, the Cardinals are 33-45 at home and 34-41 on the road.

Dakota Hudson has made 16 appearances in the 2023 season, boasting a 6-2 record. He’s currently riding a two-game streak of not allowing a home run, and his slugging percentage allowed stands at .422. Hudson has also struck out 40 batters and his WHIP is 1.45.

Dakota Hudson did not earn a decision in his last outing against the Phillies, surrendering three runs and five hits. Despite this, the Cardinals were able to come away with a 6-5 victory.

Having gone deep 4 times in their last five games, the Cardinals are 6th in that span. At 4.5 runs per game, St. Louis is 16th in the league. This figure has come on a team batting average of .251 while hitting a total of 204 home runs (10th).

The Cardinals’ offensive leader Paul Goldschmidt has been a consistent presence this season, boasting a .271 batting average and .452 slugging percentage. His on-base percentage stands at .364, making him a key contributor to the team’s success.

WILL THE SAN DIEGO PADRES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Overall, the Padres have a record of 75-78 which has them 4th in the NL West. San Diego has rattled off two straight series victories and have an overall series record of 20-24-5. This season, San Diego is 42-36 at home and 33-42 on the road.

Matt Waldron is making his seventh appearance of the 2023 season with a record of 1-3. His ERA stands at 5.16, while opponents are batting .250 against him. On the road, he has gone 1-1 with an ERA of 5.29, and 0-2 at home with an ERA of 5.11. Teams have a slugging percentage of .492 against him for the season thus far.

San Diego is banking on Matt Waldron to lead them to another victory, as they triumphed over the Athletics (5-2) the last time he was on the mound. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Offensively, San Diego is ranked 12th in the league with an average of 4.7 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Padres averaged 6.2 runs per contest, which is 2nd best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, San Diego is 13th in all of baseball, with a total of 198 home runs.

Xander Bogaerts has been a key contributor to the Padres’ offense over their last five games, leading the team in hits and batting .575. During the 2023 season, Bogaerts has been a consistent force at the plate, hitting .283 and driving in 53 runs.