It was the Padres’ sixth consecutive victory, one shy of their longest winning streak of the season, and it got them back to a season-best 12 games above .500 for the first time since May 14. All but one of the new Padres were in their new uniforms Friday. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes is expected to arrive Saturday.

BOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres start a three-game series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. San Diego has a 34-18 record at home and a 60-49 record overall. The Padres have gone 41-19 in games when they record at least eight hits.

The San Diego Padres took advantage of sloppy defense by Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals and turned the mistakes into a 4-1 win at Petco Park, Friday. Jake Cronenworth was on first base in the bottom of the fifth inning after a one-out walk.

The St. Louis Cardinals (55-55) visit the San Diego Padres (60-49) open a 3-game series Friday at Petco Park. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Cardinals vs. Padres odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

San Diego has won six in a row, and my Cardinals vs. Padres predictions are betting on that streak to continue. Here are my best MLB picks for this NL showdown on August 2. The St. Louis Cardinals are just 1-5 in their last six contests, while the San Diego Padres are on a six-game win streak after taking the series opener last night.

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