The San Diego Padres are 5-5 in May so far after splitting its four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend.
The San Diego Padres won the final two games of a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals to earn a split over the weekend and are in sole possession of first place in the National League West.
The Padres are .500 this month (5-5) after losing two of three to the Chicago White Sox and winning two of three over the San Francisco Giants, putting them atop the NL West with a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers at 24-16.
San Diego enjoyed a 3-2 walk-off win in 10 innings on Mother’s Day after some late-inning heroics from right fielder Nick Castellanos and third baseman Manny Machado as well as some strong pitching from righty starter Walker Buehler and the bullpen.
After Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker belted a two-run home run to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, the Padres wouldn’t score until its proverbial backs were against the wall. Down to San Diego’s last strike, Castellanos hit a game-tying two-run shot on the ninth pitch of the at-bat off closer Riley O’Brien to even the score.
Machado would hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Ramon Laureano in the 10th to send the home fans happy. Buehler pitched six strong two-run innings and allowed just three hits while striking out two. He arguably outpitched Cardinals righty Kyle Leahy, who threw five scoreless innings but allowed two hits and walked four while striking out five.
The Padres turn its attention to a different NL Central opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers, for three games. The series opener will feature a pitching matchup between two right-handers – San Diego’s Matt Waldron and Milwaukee’s Brandon Sproat.
Waldron has pitched better after a horrendous start to the season that began with him on the injured list. Major League Baseball’s only current knuckleballer was sharp in his last appearance in relief, pitching five innings of one-run ball on two hits with seven strikeouts against the Giants.
His last start came against the Chicago Cubs on April 29 and the 29-year-old threw five innings of three-run ball on six hits and one walk while fanning one. It wasn’t his best effort, but considering how he’d been pitching prior to that performance, the Padres will take it. He is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA and 1.55 WHIP through four appearances (three starts, 18.2 innings).
Sproat is in his first season with the Brewers after being traded by the New York Mets to acquire right-hander Freddy Peralta during the offseason, and it hasn’t gone too well for him so far. The 25-year-old is still searching for his first MLB win and is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA and 1.53 ERA through seven appearances (five starts, 30.2 innings).
Sproat pitched four one-hit innings with three walks and five punchouts against the Cardinals his last time out.
First pitch is at 4:40 p.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.