The San Diego Padres sit one game back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West after losing 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener Thursday.
The San Diego Padres suffered a tough 2-1 loss in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday night and sit one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
The Padres took an early lead in the first inning after shortstop Xander Bogaerts singled home third baseman Manny Machado, but that was pretty much all the offense San Diego mustered throughout the game. The team had just four hits and didn’t have an answer for Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore.
Liberatore went six innings and allowed the one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six to earn his second win of the season. Padres ace righty Michael King was outstanding, also pitching six innings but allowing just a solo home run to first baseman Alec Burleson and two walks while fanning six.
Padres reliever Bradgley Rodriguez relieved King in the seventh inning and couldn’t keep St. Louis off the board, as shortstop Masyn Winn tripled to right field to score right fielder Jordan Walker. The Padres are now 3-4 in the month of May and have cooled off a bit since a hot stretch in mid-April.
San Diego now turns to right-hander Griffin Canning, who made his first appearance of the season over the weekend and pitched well against the Chicago White Sox. Canning threw five innings of one-run ball on three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts but earned a no-decision.
Canning made his first big league start since rupturing his left Achilles tendon last June and he looked incredible. He will face Cardinals ace right-hander Michael McGreevy, who is 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through seven starts (39.1 innings).
McGreevy has stepped up in a big way for the Cardinals, which somehow find itself in second place of an ultra-competitive NL Central division (all five teams above .500).
McGreevy has allowed more than three runs just one time (four earned runs against the Miami Marlins) and dazzled against the Dodgers his last time out: six innings, three hits, no runs, three walks and three strikeouts.
Be on the lookout for right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. to do some damage tonight, as the star outfielder is starting to put it together at the plate. He is still homerless, but his quality of contact is improving, and this is a huge game for San Diego.
First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. PDT on Apple TV.