Thursday’s Game Report: Cardinals 2, Padres 1
By Rob Rains
The Cardinals needed a run to reward Matthew Liberatore for his best start of the season. Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn got it for him.
Liberatore allowed only three hits and one run over six innings, but the Cardinals did not have any more success against the Padres’ Michael King, with the opener of a four-game series on Thursday night in San Diego tied at one going to the seventh inning.
With King out of the game, Walker led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner and one out later, Winn’s fly ball to right field was just out of the reach of Nick Castellanos and got past him for a triple, bringing Walker home with the go-ahead run.
The bullpen protected that lead, thanks in part to Pedro Pages cutting down Fernando Tatis Jr. as he tried to steal second after leading off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single.
The Cardinals have won eight of their last 10 games and improved their road record to 12-5 to begin this season.
Here is how Thursday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Alec Burleson got the Cardinals’ first hit with a home run with one out in the fourth, his sixth of the season. That was their only hit off King over six innings, with their other two runners reaching on walks … They had chances to add to their lead in the eighth and the ninth but failed to score. Victor Scott II had an infield single leading off the eighth but also was caught stealing. JJ Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera both walked, but Burleson then hit into a double play … In the ninth, Walker doubled again leading off the inning and Nolan Gorman walked, but Walker was thrown out at third on Winn’s bunt attempt and Gorman and Winn were left stranded when Nathan Church and Pages flew out.
On the mound: The only run Liberatore allowed came after he retired the first two batters in the first inning. He then walked Manny Machado and gave up back-to-back singles. Liberatore got out of the inning by picking Xander Bogaerts off first … He then shut out the Padres through the sixth, getting two double plays. He walked three and struck out six … George Soriano worked the seventh, benefitting from Pages throwing out Tatis Jr., before JoJo Romero worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Riley O’Brien did the same in the ninth, earning his 11th save.
Key stat: Burleson’s homer snapped a streak of 127 at-bats by the Cardinals since their last home run, by Walker, on Saturday.
Worth noting: One day after having to come out of the game after he was hit by a pitch on his left leg, Church was back in the starting lineup. He was hitless in four at-bats … In his first start for Memphis since he was optioned back to the Triple A team, Hunter Dobbins worked five innings on Thursday night, allowing two runs … Also in that game in Toledo, Jimmy Crooks hit his 11th homer of the season.
Up next: Michael McGreevy, who grew up near San Diego as a Padres fan, will get the start on Friday night in the second game of the series.
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