St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres Betting Preview
16 May 2021
St. Louis Cardinals have now lost three of their last four games, but it has still been a solid year for the Redbirds. The Cardinals lead the NL Central Division with a 23-17 record, but there are plenty of teams capable of winning that division.
San Diego has now won five of their last six games, and they are making a charge up the standings. The Padres are also 23-17 on the year and just one half-game out of first in the NL West.
The San Diego Padres are -134 in this matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cardinals Struggling to Score
A lack of offense has been a real issue for the Cardinals during this recent rough stretch, and that could be a problem as the year moves along. The Cardinals are hitting just .231 as a team, and the bottom of the order has failed to really produce.
Nolan Arenado has looked extremely comfortable in a Cardinals uniform for the first time, and he leads the team with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. St. Louis is without shortstop Paul DeJong, and that is a big blow to the offense.
Kwang Hyun Kim is on the mound for the Cardinals, and he is 1-0 with a 2.74 earned run average this season. The Cardinals need the pitching staff to cool off the hot bats of San Diego in the series finale.
Padres Battling Through Adversity
The Padres are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, and that has left the team without some of its biggest stars. San Diego has still been putting up some big numbers at the plate, and that speaks to the depth of talent on this roster.
Third baseman Manny Machado is still in the lineup, and he leads the team with 26 RBIs on the year. San Diego will attempt to slug their way to another win on Sunday night, but this team is also great at getting outs.
Ryan Weathers makes the start on Sunday night, and he has gone 2-1 with a sparkling 0.81 ERA to begin the year.
San Diego Slugs Way to Win
St. Louis has been a solid offensive team this season, but they are no match for an offense like the Padres. The Cardinals are going to have to keep this to a low-scoring affair if they want any chance of winning on Sunday night.
San Diego has been hammering the baseball this weekend, and this will be another great opportunity to score. The Padres won’t have one of their top arms on the mound, but the offense will lead the way.
The Padres have been the much better team this weekend, and that trend should continue in the series finale. Bet the San Diego Padres -2.5 over the St. Louis Cardinals in this showdown on Sunday Night Baseball.
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
