MLB Game Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (55-55) vs. San Diego Padres (60-49)

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Game Details

  • Date: Friday, August 1, 2025
  • Time: 9:40 PM ET
  • Venue: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
  • Broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest, SDPA, MLB.tv
  • Season Series: First game of the series

Team Overview & Momentum

San Diego Padres (60–49)

  • Division Standing: 2nd in NL West
  • Recent Form: 5-game win streak
  • Home Record: 34–18
  • Key Players:
    • Manny Machado: .302 AVG, 20 HR, 71 RBI
    • Fernando Tatis Jr.: .269 AVG, 17 HR, 60 BB
    • Luis Arraez: .295 AVG, 13-game hit streak
  • Pitching Starter: Nick Pivetta (10–3, 2.81 ERA, 131 K, .199 BAA)
  • Team Trends:
  • MLB’s fewest hits allowed
  • 3rd-best team ERA (3.55)
  • 58.9% win rate as favorites

St. Louis Cardinals (55–55)

  • Division Standing: 4th in NL Central
  • Recent Form: Lost 2 straight
  • Road Record: 23–31
  • Key Players:
    • Alec Burleson: .287 AVG, 14 HR
    • Brendan Donovan: .285 AVG, 24 doubles
    • Willson Contreras: 14 HR, 61 RBI
  • Pitching Starter: Matthew Liberatore (6–8, 4.04 ERA)
  • Team Trends:
  • 8th in MLB in batting average (.253)
  • 13th in runs scored (483)
  • 49.1% win rate as underdogs
  • Pitching Matchup:
  • Pivetta: 2.84 ERA vs. Cardinals this season
  • Liberatore: 4.04 ERA, 6–8 record

Key Storylines

  • Padres’ Pitching Dominance: San Diego leads MLB in fewest hits allowed and ranks top 3 in ERA, with Pivetta posting elite numbers across the board.
  • Machado’s Hot Streak: Manny Machado enters with an 8-game hitting streak, batting .429 with 2 HR and 11 RBI over his last 10 games.
  • Cardinals’ Road Struggles: St. Louis has a sub-.500 road record and faces a surging Padres team that’s 34–18 at home.
  • Offensive Comparison: Both teams are batting .250, but the Cardinals rank higher in runs scored and slugging percentage.

Game Odds

St. Louis Cardinals           7.5

San Diego Padres             – 189

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Thursday, July 31, 2025