The San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals will open up a three-game set to decide the winner of the season series after the teams split a four-game series in San Diego last month.
The San Diego Padres are headed to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals for three games on the heels of back-to-back series wins over the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles.
The Padres took two of three from the Orioles over the weekend, winning the second and third games in dominant fashion to stay in the final National League wild card spot.
Sunday’s 5-2 victory wasn’t as dominant in terms of score compared to Saturday’s 9-3 win, but San Diego’s pitching staff pitched a great game in the finale.
Padres right-hander Walker Buehler was great, pitching five innings and allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts to outduel Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers, who completed six two-run innings on five hits and two walks while punching out four. Closer Mason Miller recorded the rare four-out save for his 19th of the campaign, striking out three.
San Diego got major contributions from an unlikely source, who drove in three runs and went 2-for-4 with a home run out of the nine-hole. Catcher Rodolfo Duran has just six career hits in 34 at-bats and three of them have left the yard, with the last one being a 432-foot bomb.
Second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. has been hot at the plate for an extended stretch now; in his last 30 games, he’s slashing .328/.381/.418 (.799 OPS) and hit his first two home runs of the season. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday’s win and continues to be a catalyst at the top of the lineup.
After splitting the four-game series back in May, the Padres and Cardinals will decide the season series with this three-game set. Two veteran right-handers will get the ball in the opener, and it will be San Diego’s Lucas Giolito squaring off against St. Louis’ Dustin May.
Giolito is 2-1 with a 4.35 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 14 strikeouts to 18 walks through five starts (20.2 innings). The former All-Star has struggled mightily with command and has led to short outings.
Giolito last worked against the Reds and completed just four innings after allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts.
May has pitched better as the season has progressed and he is 4-6 with a 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 66 strikeouts to 20 walks through 13 starts (72.2 innings). The 2020 World Series champion was outstanding against the New York Mets his last time out, tossing six scoreless innings and allowing four hits and one walk while fanning six.
First pitch is at 4:45 p.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.
