:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70931177/1240905242.0.jpg)
The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals square off on Wednesday with first pitch set for 1:15 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO., and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. On the mound, Padres’ Yu Darvish will try to best the Cardinals’ Dakota Hudson.
The Padres (30-19) have lost five of their past seven games, scoring just 17 runs in that span. And after Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat, San Diego has dropped 22 of its previous 32 games at Busch Stadium. Manny Machado continues to be a driving force for the Padres as he is slashing .347/.426/.563. He leads MLB with a 3.4 FanGraphs WAR. Darvish has had a couple of clunkers this season, but outside of those two starts, he has turned in a quality start in his seven others. He carries an impressive 0.99 WHIP.
The Cardinals (28-21) have won eight of their past 11 games and are now a season-high seven games over .500. That successful stretch coincides with the callup of rookie Nolan Gorman, who had three hits Tuesday and has a 1.150 OPS through his first 31 MLB at-bats. Paul Goldschmidt, however, is the straw that stirs the drink here. The veteran first baseman leads the National League in batting average (.352), slugging (.626) and OPS (1.048). Hudson has a solid 3.22 ERA but a high 1.41 WHIP. He hasn’t thrown more than five innings in any of his past four starts.
Padres vs. Cardinals
Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Dakota Hudson
First pitch: 1:15 p.m. ET
Padres local broadcast: Bally Sports San Diego
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run line: Padres -1.5 (+130), Cardinals +1.5 (-150)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Padres -130, Cardinals +110
Moneyline pick: Cardinals +110
It’s difficult to back to the Padres with the state of their offense. And for as good as Darvish is, he’s not impervious to a blowup. Let’s go with the hot home team.
Player prop pick: Paul Goldschmidt OVER 1.5 total bases (+115)
Goldy has had decent success versus Darvish — 8-for-27, two extra-base hits. But moreover, he’s just about impossible to get out right now. He is slashing .438/.480/.888 with 21 extra-base hits, nine homers and 32 RBIs over his current 22-game hitting streak. Getting this prop at plus money is a great value.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (ONT), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY; 19+ ONT). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/ONT/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.