Colin Rea (1-1, 5.51 ERA) and Mike Leake (0-2, 5.71 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres (7-11) and the St. Louis Cardinals (9-8) at Petco Park. The Cardinals won the last game 11-2, and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 4:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 24 and can be seen on FSMW and FSSD.
Rea pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out six and walking one in a 5-4 win over the Pirates. Matt Kemp (.258, 8 Rs, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Leake went 7.0 innings, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out six and walking one in a 5-0 defeat to the Cubs in his most recent start. Aledmys Diaz (.467, 12 Rs, 2 HRs, 10 RBIs) has been successful at the plate to start the season for the Cardinals, going 5 for 5 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
The odds for San Diego and St. Louis are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Padres have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. San Diego is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 13 bases. San Diego’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
Offensively, they average 0.0 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. The Cardinals capitalize on their at-bats at a high percentage, ranking .271 in the league with a .271 team batting average. St. Louis is excellent at drawing walks with 3.8 per game, ranking fifth in the NL. The Cardinals allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL
Notes
The Padres managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cardinals who are coming in with a 3-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 2-8. The Cardinals have a 2-7 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 23rd in home runs, San Diego has hit 14 this season. St. Louis ranks third with 26 home runs.
Ranking 19th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 7.94 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at third with 9.47.
Ranking 28th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.652). St. Louis ranks in the top five with an OPS of .840.
The Cardinals are 4-4 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Padres are 2-7 when they allow at least one homer.
