San Diego Padres vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Padres to take charge again

On Sunday, the second game of a Major League Baseball series will take place at Petco Park, and it will feature a matchup between the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Padres got off to a great start with a win in game 1, and they'll be looking to keep things moving in their favor from here on out. Where will this one go from here?

The San Diego Padres are looking to add to their current winning streak of eight games. In the race for the National League wild card, the San Diego Padres trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by four games. The pitching staff for the San Diego Padres is currently ranked third in quality starts (70), fifth in ERA (3.86), and 14th in WHIP (1.28). The offense of the San Diego Padres is ranked 13th in terms of runs per game (4.66), 21st in terms of batting average (.243), and 13th in terms of home runs (200). The San Diego Padres are led in hits and runs batted in by Xander Bogaerts, who has 159, while Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. have a combined total of 288 hits and 178 RBI. The next batter is Nick Martinez, who is now 5-4 on the season with a 3.73 earned run average and 95 strikeouts. In his career against the St. Louis Cardinals, Martinez has a record of 0-2 with a 5.40 earned run average and 3 strikeouts.

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to end a skid of four consecutive losses. The Cardinals of St. Louis now hold the position in the National League with the second-worst record. The pitching staff for the St. Louis Cardinals ranks 25th in earned run average (4.79), 27th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.45), and 23rd in quality starts (46). The offensive performance of the St. Louis Cardinals ranks 18th in terms of runs scored per game (4.45), 15th in terms of batting average (.251), and 10th in terms of home runs (205). Paul Goldschmidt leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 157 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 Rockies. Jake Woodford is scheduled to pitch, and so far this year he has a record of 2-2, a 5.31 ERA, and 28 strikeouts. In his career against the San Diego Padres, Woodford has a 0.00 record, an 8.10 earned run average, and one strikeout.

Jake Woodford, a pitcher who has a 5.31 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in a short sample size, will be taking the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals, and I don't expect things to change while he's there. The St. Louis Cardinals are still playing poor baseball, and I don't expect things to improve while he's there. A little more than a week remains in the regular season, and the San Diego Padres have won eight games in a row to put themselves in contention for a wild card spot. Nick Martinez's 3.73 ERA and 1.28 WHIP show that his performances have been satisfactory. If the San Diego Padres want to make the final week of the season exciting, they need to win all three games of this series. As a result, I will be rooting for the home team to win for the ninth time in a row.