The Dylan Cease who is staying was a little better than the one who was going. The Padres’ offense sputtered a bit but got one big hit and then a couple more. Their augmented bullpen did its job almost as prescribed and eventually to the end.

BOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1. San Diego has a 61-50 record overall and a 35-19 record in home games. The Padres have gone 33-11 in games when they scored at least five runs.

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.

It's Monday, August 4 and the Cardinals (56-57) are in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers (65-47). Sonny Gray is slated to take the mound for St. Louis against Tyler Glasnow for Los Angeles. The Cardinals continue their west coast road trip after losing two out of three to the Padres.