Game 122 Preview: 08/21 Padres vs. Cardinals

The Padres continue their homestand, and hopefully their winning streak, tonight as they welcome the Cardinals to Petco Park for a three-game series. San Diego has hit a little hot streak lately, winning seven of their last nine games, including a sweep of the Braves prior to their off day yesterday. But preceding that nine-game stretch was a six-game losing streak.

This upcoming series will be a tough test for the Padres. The Cardinals own the best record in baseball at 77-43. Right-hander John Lackey, who takes the mound in the series opener, is on a run of 12 straight quality starts, going 63 with a 2.12 ERA in that span.

Andrew Cashner is almost a month removed from his last winning decision. In four outings since July 24th, the Padres righty is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA, with opponents batting .319 off him in that stretch. He's made seven career appearances against the Cardinals, but only faced them once before as a starter. On July 3rd he pitched at Busch Stadium, keeping the Cards to only one run on three hits and three walks through six innings of work. Thought the Padres came out victorious in that meeting, Cashner didn't factor into the decision.

The Padres didn't have to face Lackey in that July series in St. Louis, so this will be their first time seeing him this season. But he does have three career starts against the Padres under his belt. In those three starts, he is 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA.

Game time: 7:10 pm PT
TV: FSSD, Fox Deportes San Diego (Sp.)
Radio: The Mighty 1090, La Poderosa 860 (Sp.)

Cardinals vs Padres coverage

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is running a $1,000,000 fantasy football league for week 1. It's $5 to enter and first place wins $100,000. Click here to join.