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Miller helps Cards avoid sweep against Padres

Coverage of today's Cards and Brewers game can be heard on The Big 870AM/96.3 FM Newstalk WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.

San  Diego, CA  (SportsNetwork.com) - Shelby Miller worked six innings for his 
first  win in almost two months and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego 
Padres 6-2 on Thursday to avoid being swept in a three-game series. 

Miller  (8-8)  hadn't won since  June 7 against Washington  -- a span of seven 
starts. He struck out five and gave up two runs on three hits and no walks. 

Oscar Taveras hit a two-run homer and Matt Holliday added a two-run single for 
the Cardinals, who bounced back from Wednesday's 12-1 loss to win for only the 
third time in their last nine games. They went 3-3 on a six-game road trip. 

Jedd  Gyorko and Will Venable hit solo homers off Miller in the second inning. 
San Diego's only other baserunner came in the sixth on Rene Rivera's double. 

"A  couple solo homers  got (Miller) on the edge a little bit, then he stepped 
in  and started  making some really nice pitches," said Cardinals manager Mike 
Matheny. 

Padres rookie Odrisamer Despaigne (2-3) yielded six runs, nine hits and a walk 
in  5 2/3 innings  to remain winless in his last four starts since winning his 
first two. 

The  Padres  traded outfielder  Chris Denorfia to  Seattle ahead of Thursday's 
non-waiver  deadline  in exchange  for outfielder  Abraham Almonte and pitcher 
Stephen Kohlscheen. 

Taveras  followed A.J.  Pierzynski's two-out single in the second with a homer 
to right field. 

Padres  manager Bud  Black said Despaigne just couldn't seem to "wiggle out of 
trouble." 

"The  pitch  to Taveras was  a changeup," said Black.  "Not quite down and not 
quite up either." 

Gyorko  and Venable  each cracked homers to  right in the bottom of the inning 
for San Diego to tie the score. 

In  the third,  Holliday followed  a single  by Matt  Carpenter and  double by 
Kolten Wong with a two-run hit to give the Cardinals the lead. 

They made it 6-2 in the sixth inning, chasing Despaigne. Tavares lined into an 
unassisted  double play  with the bases loaded, but Peter Bourjos later hit an 
RBI  single and  Pierzynski drew a bases-loaded walk off reliever Blaine Boyer 
for the two-run lead. 

Kevin Siegrist, Pat Neshek and Trevor Rosenthal each threw a perfect inning of 
relief for the Cardinals. 

                                   Game Notes 

The  Padres will remain home for three games against Atlanta ... The Cardinal
start a six-game homestand Friday against Milwaukee. 

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