The Cardinals had an off day on Thursday but that doesn’t make a trip out West for the MLB betting free pick June 28th any easier. St. Louis dropped their last three in a row at home and were just 4-5 on their recent stand at Busch Stadium. The Padres meanwhile are also coming into Friday’s contest after an off day. San Diego conversely has won two in a row – and both on the road. Oddsmakers are calling this tilt a close one, with the Padres a slight -120 favorite (STL +100).
Can Cardinals Be Trusted on the Road?
St. Louis has climbed their way back into the NL Central race, currently sitting in 3rd place but just 3GB from the Cubs. This is all after a 3-game losing streak as well in which the Cardinals have fallen as -140, -159, and -142 favorites. Can St. Louis fix their offense before the MLB free betting pick June 28th? The Cardinals were shut out 0-2 on Thursday behind just 5 hits and were also blanked by the Marlins 0-6 during the home stand on only 2 hits. The Cardinals have only faced San Diego’s Eric Lauer a combined 29 AB, but Marcell Ozuna (2), Paul DeJong, and Harrison Bader have all went deep over that short span.
Michael Wacha will make his second start of the season vs. San Diego on Friday night. He only allowed 3 hits and an ER in the first outing on April 6th, but Wacha also walked 8 Padres batters. The right-hander will be making his fourth start after a quick stint in the bullpen. He’s been dazzling in two of those outings with just 1 ER allowed in 12 combined IP but the June 15th start vs. the Mets didn’t go as well (5ER in 4.0 IP). The O/U for Friday is set at 9.
Padres Have Too Much Offense In This One?
The San Diego bats are clicking right now, scoring 28 runs over their last three games in two wins at Baltimore and a loss at Pittsburgh. The last time the Padres welcomed an NL Central opponent to Petco, they scored a 3-game sweep over the Brewers last week. San Diego also won 2 of 3 at Busch Stadium back in early April and they may simply have too much scoring for the Cardinals in the MLB free betting pick June 28th. Manny Machado has 3HRs and a .480 OBP over the past week. San Diego as a team has hit just .204 in 49 total ABs vs. Wacha however.
The Padres are just a game over .500 at home this season but St. Louis is just 16-21 on the road. Eric Lauer gets the nod Friday in the series opener and he’s been great at every ballpark not named Coors Field as of late. Save for two starts in Denver, Lauer has given up 8ER total in his 6 other most recent outings. The left-hander has just a 2.70 ERA at Petco on the season. The Cardinals have gone 7-3 in their last 10 in San Diego however.
Top Trends
- Cardinals are 5-2 last 7 road games
- Cardinals are 3-8 last 11 Friday games
- Padres are 5-2 last 7 home games
- Padres are 5-1 in Lauer’s last 6 home games vs team with a winning record
- Cardinals are 1-4 last 5 H2H meetings
MLB Free Betting Pick June 28th
Both teams are coming into Friday’s game after a day off. That could kill momentum for San Diego while also allowing St. Louis to regroup from their recent losing skid. You have to like the Padres streaking offense a little better in the series opener however, especially with St. Louis traveling West.
MLB Free Pick: San Diego Padres -120
