The St. Louis Cardinals put on a dominant performance Friday night, shutting out the San Diego Padres 6-0 behind a stellar pitching display and some unexpected fireworks at the plate.

Rookie pitcher Michael McGreevy was the star of the night, striking out a career-high nine batters over six innings. He allowed just one hit — a single by Jackson Merrill in the fourth — and walked only two, keeping the Padres' offense completely off balance. Relievers Gordon Graceffo and Ryne Stanek sealed the deal with three hitless innings to close out the game.

The real drama came in the fifth inning, when the Cardinals broke the game wide open. With the bases loaded, rookie JJ Wetherholt hit what looked like a routine RBI single to right field. But Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. overran the ball, letting it roll under his glove all the way to the wall. By the time the ball was retrieved, all three runners had scored — a Little League grand slam that went down as a three-run error, Tatis's first of the season.

Nolan Gorman added an RBI single later in the inning, and Alec Burleson scored on a sacrifice fly to cap off the five-run outburst.

Padres starter Griffin Canning (0-1) took the loss in just his second start back from an Achilles tear sustained last June. He lasted only 4 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and six earned runs.

Both teams will be back at it Saturday, with the Cardinals sending right-hander Dusty May (3-3, 5.15 ERA) to the mound against San Diego's Randy Vasquez (3-1, 3.20 ERA).