Coverage of today's Cards and Padres game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:05pm.
San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Will Venable and Jedd Gyorko homered and
knocked in four runs apiece to back seven solid innings from Jesse Hahn, as
the San Diego Padres routed the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-1, in the middle
contest of a three-game series.
Yangervis Solarte went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored for the Padres,
who pounded out 16 hits. Alexi Amarista went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
Hahn (7-2), who celebrated his 25th birthday on Wednesday, gave up one run on
four hits. The right-hander won his third straight start.
"To get a win on your birthday, that's an awesome feeling," Hahn said. "It
makes it a lot easier when they put up runs like that."
Peter Bourjos drove in the lone run for the Cardinals, who saw starter Joe
Kelly (2-2) give up four runs on seven hits over five innings.
The Padres jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Amarista reached on a
fielder's choice, moved to second when Yasmani Grandal walked, stole third and
raced home on Solarte's single to right.
San Diego tacked on another run in the third. Amarista doubled to right-center
field, advanced to third on Seth Smith's groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
The home team scored two more runs in the fourth. Gyorko hit a one-out homer
to left. Yonder Alonso followed with a triple down the left-field line and
crossed the plate on Venable's single.
St. Louis finally got on the board in the seventh. Matt Adams doubled and
Jhonny Peralta singled to put men on the corners. After Oscar Taveras struck
out swinging, Bourjos hit an RBI fielder's choice.
But the Padres exploded for eight runs in the bottom half of the frame. Carlos
Martinez put men on the corners with one out before handing the ball over to
Randy Choate. Smith greeted Choate with an RBI double to left-center field,
and Grandal was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Seth Maness came in from the bullpen and gave up an RBI single to Solarte.
Gyorko followed with a three-run double past a diving Bourjos in left-center
field. Alonso walked prior to Venable's three-run homer.
"Probably our ugliest loss of the year," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
"That's the best way to describe it. That's not the kind of baseball we've
played all year. It was terrible. That's just not what we do. Take any aspect
of the game and it was awful."
Game Notes
Prior to Wednesday's game, the Cardinals acquired pitcher Justin Masterson
from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfield prospect James Ramsey ...
St. Louis went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded five.