San Diego Padres vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/16/2026

Game Time: 7:45 pm ET, Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, TBS

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Padres -105, Cardinals -115; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Padres -105, Cardinals -115; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Padres +100, Cardinals -120; Over/Under:  8 runs

San Diego Padres:  37-33 (2nd place, NL West)

St Louis Cardinals:  38-31 (2nd place, NL Central)

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San Diego Padres:  5-5 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  7-3 last 10

The Padres are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 37-33 record overall and have a road record of 18-14. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 30th in the MLB with a .658 OPS. Lucas Giolito is their starting pitcher on Monday while Michael King is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-5 with a 3.46 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 2 HR, and 3 BB with 3 SO on 7 hits through 6.2 IP against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Minnesota Twins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 38-31 record overall and have a home record of 19-16. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Padres on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .723 OPS. Dustin May is their starting pitcher on Monday while Andre Pallante is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 7-4 with a 3.88 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts on 3 hits through 6 innings pitched against the New York Mets.

The current betting odds have the Cardinals listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 38-31 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 19-16 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Padres have looked good in their games this season with their 37-33 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL West. They have been a good road team too with their 18-14 road record this year. The Padres just won their series over the Orioles, but they are only 5-5 in their last 10 games and haven't looked great lately while the Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have been getting hot now. Pallante is starting for the Cardinals in this one and he has been a solid starter for them this season, especially in their home games. He is 7-4 with a 3.88 ERA and his team has been having a ton of success with him. They have won 4 games in a row now with him starting and he hasn't been giving up many runs lately either, giving up 2 earned runs in his last start. King is starting for the Padres here and he has looked good this season. He is 4-5 with a 3.46 ERA, but lately he has been giving up more runs in his starts and his team hasn't been having a ton of success either. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting and he just gave up 3 earned runs in his last start which is starting to become a common theme for him. The Padres also have one of the worst offenses in the league while the Cardinals have been putting up a lot of runs lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cardinals to win this game. 

Padres Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, June 16, 2026 (7:45 pm ET start time) is Cardinals 4 Padres 2.

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San Diego Padres: 49-33 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 226-179 (+24.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 107-94 (+18.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 5-2 UNDER on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5.

St Louis Cardinals: 77-70 (-17.9 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 139-148 (-7.6 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 127-142 (-8.2 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 6-1 UNDER against NL West opponents.

San Diego Padres:  F. Fermin (C) Seven Day IL - Concussion. M. Andujar (DH) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Estrada (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Laureano (LF) Sixty Day IL - Hip. N. Pivetta (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. L. Campusano (C) Ten Day IL - Toe. M. Waldron (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Arm. J. Cronenworth (2B) Seven Day IL - Concussion. G. Marquez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Hoeing (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Musgrove (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

St Louis Cardinals:  R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Fernandez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back.

"We had a tough stretch there against the Phillies and then we've kind of been like every other one here for a little while. It's just about us winning series. We won the Reds series. That got us going a little bit. And then to finish this one off with two good wins is a big deal." - Craig Stammen after his team’s win against the Orioles in their game on Sunday. 

“May has done a really nice job. He’s been locked in and just on the attack. He had everything working (on Tuesday). The sweeper was a really good pitch for him. He was using both sides of the plate, up and down with the fastball. He was dominant.” - Oliver Marmol on Dustin May after his last start. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) 2B

Jackson Merrill (L) CF

Manny Machado (R) 3B

Xander Bogaerts (R) SS

Gavin Sheets (L) 1B

Samad Taylor (R) LF

Nick Solak (R) DH

Jase Bowen (R) RF

Rodolfo Durán (R) C

JJ Wetherholt (L) SS

Iván Herrera (R) C

Alec Burleson (L) DH

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Lars Nootbaar (L) LF

Blaze Jordan (R) 1B

Bryan Torres (L) 2B

José Fermín (R) 3B

Nathan Church (L) CF

Batting Average:  Will Wagner (.444)

Hits:  Fernando Tatis (75)

Home Runs:  Manny Machado (12)

RBI:  Manny Machado (35)

Stolen Bases:  Fernando Tatis (17)

Wins:  Randy Vásquez (6)

Saves:  Mason Miller (19)

ERA:  Mason Miller (0.90)

Batting Average:  Blaze Jordan (.417)

Hits:  Jordan Walker (79)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (18)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (56)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (10)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (7)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (17)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (1.86)

Managers:

San Diego Padres: Craig Stammen (1st season)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)