San Diego was buzzing Thursday night, but it was the St. Louis Cardinals who stole the show with a gritty 2-1 victory over the Padres, kicking off their seven-game California road trip on a winning note. The Cardinals, now winners of eight of their last ten, leaned on a clutch seventh-inning rally and a steady pitching performance to edge out the home team.
The game's pivotal moment came in the top of the seventh. With the score tied 1-1, Jordan Walker led off with a sharp double off the wall against Padres rookie reliever Bradgley Rodriguez (0-2). Walker then dashed home on Masyn Winn’s soaring triple to right field, a play that saw right fielder Nick Castellanos just miss a diving catch. That run proved to be the difference-maker.
Earlier, the Cardinals had shown some pop of their own. Alec Burleson crushed a solo home run to right field in the fourth inning, pulling a changeup from Padres starter Michael King. King was otherwise sharp, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out six over six innings, but Burleson's blast kept St. Louis in the game.
On the mound, Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore (2-1) delivered a quality start, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out six over six innings. The St. Louis bullpen then took over, allowing just one hit while facing the minimum nine batters. Riley O’Brien closed the door in the ninth for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.
San Diego struck first in the opening inning. Manny Machado drew a two-out walk and later scored on a check-swing single by Xander Bogaerts. But that was all the Padres could muster, as they dropped their sixth loss in their last eight home games and sixth in nine overall.
There was also a feel-good story for the Padres: catcher Rodolfo Durán made his long-awaited major league debut after spending parts of 12 seasons in the minors. Though he went 0-for-3, Durán nearly made a splash in the sixth, launching a 380-foot drive with a 107.9 mph exit velocity, only to have it caught by Victor Scott II at the deep center field wall. He also threw out Scott trying to steal second in the eighth.
Looking ahead, the series continues with Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA) making his second start, while the Cardinals send Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52) to the mound. McGreevy, who grew up just an hour north of Petco Park in San Clemente, California, will have plenty of family and friends in the stands.