St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres

Two of the top teams in the National League will square off on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals (23-15) take on the San Diego Padres (21-17). The Padres will host this one at Petco Park, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 pm ET.

Friday will be the first of a three-game series between the two teams.

On Thursday, the Cardinals were able to finish a series win over the Milwaukee Brewers with a 2-0 shutout. In the win, Jack Flaherty was magnificent, pitching six innings, allowing four hits, two walks, and striking out six.
The Padres enjoyed an off day on Thursday but beat the Rockies two out of three games in their last series. In the finale, the Padres lost 3-2 on Wednesday. Austin Nola went two for four with a run scored in the loss.

The Padres are the favorite playing at home. They are -164 to win while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at +138. The runline features St. Louis +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is seven.

Pitching Matchup

The Cardinals are calling on righty Johan Oviedo (0-1, 4.61 ERA) to start Friday after putting Carlos Martinez on the injured list. In three games (two starts) this season, Oviedo has a 4.61 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and has struck out 13 in 13.2 innings.

The Padres will counter with Joe Musgrove. Since his no-hitter earlier in the season, Musgrove has come down to earth a bit. In his last outing, a 7-1 loss to the Giants, he surrendered four runs on eight hits over just five innings. He did strike out seven but also allowed a couple of home runs.

By The Number

Offensively, the Cardinals have been the superior team to this point. They are ranked 10th in scoring averaging 4.54 runs per game. The Padres rank 21st, averaging 4.05 runs.

Defensively, the Padres have been the best team in baseball. They rank atop the list in runs allowed per game at just 3.34 runs. The Cardinals rank eighth, allowing 3.86 runs.

Cardinals Look To Stay Hot

At 23-15, the Cardinals currently lead the NL. Central by three games over the second-place Milwaukee Brewers. Even more impressive is how well St. Louis has played as of late. In their last ten games, they are 7-3.
Leading the way offensively has been Nolan Arenado. The big offseason acquisition is hitting .284/.342/.500 with six home runs and a team-leading 24 runs batted in.

Against Musgrove, keep an eye on both Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill. Goldschmidt is hitting .529 in 17 at-bats in his career against the righty with a home run. O’Neill has two home runs and is hitting .364 in 11 at-bats.

Shorthanded Padres Hoping To Pick Up Home Win

Unfortunately, this matchup of two of the NLs best will be without several key players. For San Diego, both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers have tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the game. Additionally, Eric Hosmer, Jurickson Profar, and Jorge Mateo are quarantined due to contact-tracing protocols.

With Tatis out, the most dangerous hitter for the Padres is third baseman, Manny Machado. While he is currently hitting just .226/.327/.387, he has five home runs and a team-leading 22 runs batted in.

Trent Grisham could also play a big factor. The center fielder is hitting .288/.363/.486 with five home runs, 12 runs batted in, 16 runs scored, and six stolen bases.

Taking Cardinals To Stay Hot

Granted, Johan Oviedo does not exactly inspire a lot of confidence, but the Cardinals still seem like a good bet in this one. With Joe Musgrove’s recent struggles and the star power missing from the Padres lineup, they are vulnerable to the red hot Cardinals.

At the very least, taking the Cardinals on the runline seems smart, but don’t hesitate to pounce on St. Louis at +138.