St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 7/26/25, 3:44 PM  by Erik Gibbs | Modified on 7/26/25 at 10:10 PM in MLB Picks

The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals square off this afternoon in Game 3 of their four-game series at Busch Stadium. Both teams are chasing postseason spots in their respective divisions, though each has encountered turbulence in recent weeks. The Padres, sitting second in the NL West with a 55-48 record, are trying to shake off a three-game skid and close the five-game gap behind the division-leading Dodgers.

The Cardinals, currently fourth in the NL Central at 49-54, are hoping to build on yesterday’s shutout win and claw their way back into the playoff race despite trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by eight games.

St. Louis has taken control of this series early, claiming the opener 9-7 and following it up with a dominant pitching performance in Friday’s 3-0 shutout. The pair of wins snapped the Cardinals' brief two-game slide and provided a much-needed jolt of confidence. However, the broader picture shows St. Louis still struggling to find consistency, having dropped four of their last seven games overall.

The Padres, on the other hand, have been tough to peg. Before their current three-game losing streak, they had won six of eight and appeared to be gathering momentum. Pitching remains their strong suit, with a team ERA of 3.63—seventh-best in the majors.