The Cardinals are coming into this game with a 2-3 record this season but they are coming off of a 6-2 win against the Padres in the 1st game of this series. Their offense has been better in their recent games but even with that 6-2 win in their last game, their pitching has been awful this season as they have allowed at least 5 runs in 4 of their 5 games. They are going up against a Padres team that is 3-4 this season and their pitching has not been great either, but their offense has been very good in their recent games. The Padres have scored at least 6 runs in 2 of their last 3 as well as 4 of their last 6 games. They are also going to be hungry to bounce back in this game after losing 6-2 in the series opener. Miles Mikolas is starting for the Cardinals here and he is 0-1 with a 10.38 ERA this season. He allowed 5 earned runs as well as 7 hits in a little over 4 innings pitched against the Dodgers in his 1st start of the season. The Dodgers have one of the better lineups in the league this year, but the Padres lineup has been hot to start the season and Mikolas will struggle to keep them off the board with the way he pitched in that 1st start. The Padres also have Yu Darvish starting here and he has been their ace over the last few seasons, but he has also been pitching very well to start this season. He is 0-0 with a 1.04 ERA and is one of the few starters to make 2 regular season starts already. He was great in Spring Training as he was 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA, allowing 3 earned runs in a little over 9 innings pitched, and he has continued that into this season as he allowed no earned runs against the Dodgers in a little under 4 innings pitched in his 1st start as well as allowing just 1 earned run in 5 innings pitched against the Giants in his last start. Darvish has pitched well against 2 good offenses this season and he gives the Padres their best chance to win on any given night. Darvish will be tough for these Cardinals bats to crack open and the Padres have the offense to make it a long night for Mikolas and this Cardinals bullpen. The Padres will win this game.