St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres Prediction, 5/7/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026

Location: Petco Park in San Diego, CA

TV: Padres.TV

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+106) San Diego (-128)

The St. Louis Cardinals (21-14) are on their way to Petco Park on Thursday where they will meet the San Diego Padres (21-14). The line on this matchup has St. Louis at +106 while San Diego is priced at -128. The betting total comes in at 9. The starting pitchers will be Matthew Liberatore and Michael King.

The Cardinals have earned 55 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 44 balls out of the park. St. Louis has a slugging percentage of .403 and have struck out 292 times, while being walked on 127 occasions. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are notching 4.9 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have tallied 168 RBI's and 285 hits over the course of the season, and their average at the plate comes in at .242. They have accumulated 172 runs and have an on-base percentage of .326.

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The Cardinals are sitting with a team ERA of 4.50 on the campaign (22nd in baseball), and the staff has rung up 243 batters. Cardinals pitchers have conceded 38 home runs in addition to 169 runs in total (21st in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 134 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.62 as a team for the year. St. Louis has allowed 317 hits (9.0 per 9 innings) in addition to 158 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 1.81 and the pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.43.

The Cardinals relievers have recorded a save rate of 68.4% and have come into the game in 51 save situations. They have compiled 13 saves over the course of the season and have blown 6 of their 19 chances to get a save. The relief pitchers have inherited 60 runners so far this season with 38.3% of them earned a run for their team. Cardinals relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 40 times in addition to having 45 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cardinals have dispatched 129 relievers to the mound so far this season. The relievers have a total of 30 holds so far this season (1st in the league).

The Cardinals have turned 69.2% of balls in play into outs in their 2,844 innings, which has them sitting 21st in pro baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have accounted for 948 putouts thus far, in addition to 355 assists and 18 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .986 which has them sitting 14th in baseball, and have 36 double plays.

Liberatore has taken the mound for 370 innings and has accumulated 295 K's so far in his MLB career. His ERA is 4.62 (190 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.384. He has given up 388 hits (9.4 hits per nine innings) and has 124 free passes. Liberatore (17-25 career record) has a FIP of 4.55 and he has faced 1,600 batters in the major leagues.

The Padres have a team SLG% of .384 and they are recording 4.49 runs per contest (13th in the league). They have 60 doubles, while taking a walk 113 times and earning 157 runs. San Diego has tallied 34 home runs so far this season to go along with 150 RBIs. They have been rung up on 287 occasions (21st in the league) and are sitting with 272 hits. The San Diego Padres have accounted for an on-base percentage of .306 and a team batting average of .234 on the season.

The Padres have a team WHIP of 1.288 and are the owners of a FIP of 3.86 as a staff so far this year. They sit at 13th in MLB as a staff in total hits allowed with 283. The San Diego pitching staff have relinquished 154 runs on the season while having an ERA of 4.30 (149 earned runs relinquished). Their K/BB ratio is 8.70 (301 strikeouts against 119 walks). They have allowed 32 HR's and they surrender 4.44 runs per 9 innings (14th in baseball).

With 46 save situations, the Padres have accumulated 24 holds in addition to 7 blown saves. San Diego has had bullpen pitchers enter the game in 20 save chances and they have recorded 13 saves. San Diego relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 36.4% out of their 55 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have come in 39 times in high leverage situations and also on 32 occasions with runners on base. They sit at 13th in baseball with a save rate of 65.0%, and they have sent 117 bullpen pitchers onto the field so far this year.

In their 2,808 innings on the diamond, the Padres are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 70.0% (15th in baseball). The San Diego Padres have gotten 27 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .994 (2nd in professional baseball). The Padres have recorded 314 assists, 8 errors and have a total of 936 putouts on the season.

So far in his career, King has surrendered 445 hits while accumulating 598 K's in 533 innings pitched. He has allowed a total of 191 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.190 and a FIP of 3.2. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.15 and he has gone up against 2,228 opposing hitters so far in his MLB career. King (34-31 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 3.22 ERA while allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (+106)

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