Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson gave up multiple runs in three separate innings and dug his club’s offense a hole more than double its scoring output from the previous two games combined. While the Cardinals cut into the deficit, they couldn’t overcome it.
The Cardinals lost to the San Diego Padres 7-4 in front of an announced crowd of 28,697 on Monday night for Mike Shildt’s managerial return to ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Busch Stadium in the first game of a four-game series. Shildt is in his first season at the helm for the Padres.
The Cardinals (65-66) fell a game below .500 with the loss. They’d won four of five entering Monday night after back-to-back series wins.
The Padres (75-58) had won just one of their previous 10 games at Busch Stadium entering the night.
Brendan Donovan (3 for 4), Masyn Winn (3 for 4, double, walk) and Alec Burleson (3 for 5, two RBIs, double) registered three hits apiece. Paul Goldschmidt (1 for 4) and Matt Carpenter (sacrifice fly) also drove in runs.
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Gibson (7-6) allowed seven runs on five hits and four walks in 4⅓ innings. He allowed one home run and just two extra-base hits — both to Padres star Manny Machado — but the four walks were the most for Gibson in a game since June 26.
Both the Cardinals and Padres entered the day having gone 5-5 in their previous 10 games. However, the Padres entered the day planted in the second wild-card spot in the National League playoff race, while the Cardinals began the day five games back of the Atlanta Braves for the third wild-card spot with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants also chasing the Braves.
The Cardinals, who now have 31 games remaining this season, are running low on time to make a playoff push. Winning games against teams ahead of them, like the Padres, would certainly play a crucial part in keeping their hopes alive.
Herrera back in lineup
Rookie catcher Ivan Herrera rejoined the club from the minors on Sunday morning when starting catcher Willson Contreras went on the injured list with a fractured finger. Pedro Pages and Herrera are expected to share the catching duties in Contreras’ absence, as they did earlier this season when Contreras suffered a broken forearm.
“They’re both going to have opportunity,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of the two rookie catchers.
Herrera did not play on Sunday, but he started the series opener against the Padres and batted fifth.
This season in the majors, Herrera had batted .279 with a .340 on-base percentage and .378 slugging percentage with three home runs in 54 games entering Monday night.
In the minors, Herrera slashed .280/.402/.473 with five home runs in 27 games.
Herrera last appeared in a major league game on June 18. He went on the injured list on June 19 with lower back tightness. While sidelined with the back issue, Herrera also received an injection for pain in his throwing arm.
Herrera threw out just 3 of 41 attempted base stealers (4%) during his time in the majors earlier this year. Herrera said he is now “healthy.â€
As far as the impact the arm issue had on his throwing, Herrera said, “We’ll see in the games. You’ll see, and then you tell me if it’s different.â€
Since July, when Contreras returned from the broken arm, Pages played primarily against left-handed pitchers with Contreras typically having served as the designated hitter.
Pages has slashed .313/.340/.396 in his past 29 games (28 starts), and he has slashed .277/.304/.400 against left-handed pitchers this season.
Herrera went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored Monday. The Padres were 2 for 2 on stolen base attempts.
Gibson’s command fleeting
Gibson hadn’t started against the Padres since his first start of the season, the second series of the season for the Cardinals. Gibson held the Padres to two runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings April 1 at Petco Park.
Monday night, the Padres wasted little time getting two runs on the board against Gibson.
With two outs in the first inning, Gibson hit Jake Cronenworth with a pitch to give the Padres their first base runner of the game. Then Machado smacked a cutter on the outer half and just shy of belt high to center field for a two-run home run.
The Padres added two more runs with two outs in the third inning. Gibson loaded the bases with one out in the third on a single by Luis Arraez, a walk by Jurickson Profar and a walk by Machado (the Cardinals intentionally walked Machado after the count reached 3-0).
Gibson got Xander Bogaerts to hit a soft dribbler in front of home plate, and Herrera scooped the ball and stepped on the plate for the force-out. Then Jackson Merrill, one of the leading NL Rookie of the Year candidates, smacked a 3-1 sinker from Gibson into left field for a two-run single.
Three of the first four runs allowed by Gibson reached base via either a hit by pitch or a walk.
The Padres scored three more in the fifth against Gibson, one on a Machado double and another on a Bogaerts sacrifice fly. Merrill’s single drove in the final run of the inning after Marmol called upon left-hander Matthew Liberatore out of the bullpen.
Donovan provides early spark with bat
Donovan scored the Cardinals’ first run after he lined a one-out triple in the second inning. He scored on a single up the middle by Goldschmidt. That made the score 2-1 at the time.
With the Cardinals trailing 4-1 in the fourth, Herrera drew a leadoff walk and then went first to third on a single by Donovan. That put Herrera a sacrifice fly away from scoring with no outs in the inning.
Following a Goldschmidt strikeout, Carpenter hit a deep fly ball to center field that allowed Herrera to score and make it 4-2 game.
The Padres made it 7-2 with their three-run fifth inning.
Back-to-back two-out doubles in the seventh inning by Winn and Burleson gave the Cardinals their third run of the game as Burleson drove in the rookie Winn.
In the ninth, Winn singled with two outs and scored again, this time on a Burleson single.