San Diego Padres vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Expect the Padres to keep things rolling in this one

Game 1 of an MLB series between the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals takes place at Petco Park on Saturday.

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to end a losing streak of three games. One of the three National League teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention is the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching staff for the St. Louis Cardinals ranks 25th in earned run average (4.80), 27th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.45), and 23rd in quality starts (45). The offensive performance of the Cardinals ranks 18th in terms of runs per game (4.46), 14th in terms of batting average (.251), and 10th in terms of home runs (204). The St. Louis Cardinals are led by Paul Goldschmidt with 156 hits and 79 runs batted in, while Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras have a combined total of 262 hits and 160 runs batted in for the team. The next batter is Dakota Hudson, who has posted a record of 6-2 with a 5.12 earned run average and 40 strikeouts so far this season. In his career against the San Diego Padres, Hudson has a record of 1-1 with a 2.08 earned run average and 5 strikeouts. After suffering a defeat at home, the St. Louis Cardinals have been unsuccessful on the road in each of their last nine games. In addition, the St. Louis Cardinals have lost each of their last seven away games against National League opponents following a defeat at home while failing to cover the run line in any of those games.

The San Diego Padres hope to extend their seven-game winning streak. The San Diego Padres trail the National League wild card race by four games. The San Diego Padres pitching staff is ranked fifth in the league in ERA (3.87), 14th in WHIP (1.28), and third in quality starts (70). The offense of the San Diego Padres ranks 14th in runs per game (4.66), 21st in batting average (.243), and 13th in home runs (198). The San Diego Padres' Xander Bogaerts leads the team with 159 hits and 53 RBI, while Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. have combined for 284 hits and 178 RBI. Matt Waldron takes the mound, and this season he is 1-3 with a 5.16 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Following a win, the San Diego Padres have lost seven of their last eight games as favorites against National League Central opponents. Following a win, the San Diego Padres have failed to cover the run line in eight of their last nine games as favorites against National League Central opponents.

The St. Louis Cardinals are a squad that has already turned their attention to their upcoming vacation, and Dakota Hudson's 5.12 ERA and 1.45 WHIP aren't doing much to frighten anyone. The San Diego Padres have won seven games in a row without much fanfare, and they are now only four games behind the other teams in the battle for the wild card. Things have the potential to take an intriguing turn during the next week. The San Diego Padres need to look at this series as an opportunity to maintain making progress in the standings, and they must do so. In light of the fact that the odds are not too long, I will back San Diego to win their eighth game in a row.