St. Louis Cardinals vs San Diego Padres Match Player Stats On Sep 06, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 7, 2017

SAN DIEGO -- Stephen Piscotty ended the shutout bid by rookie Dinelson Lamet with a two-run homer in the seventh inning Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

The Cardinals' third straight win over the Padres moved them to within two games of the National League's second wild-card berth.

Lamet (7-7) had shut out the Cardinals (72-67) on a hit and three walks, striking out eight, through six innings when he gave up a single to center by Jose Martinez opening the seventh.

Piscotty then drove the first pitch from Lamet into the left-field stands to erase a 1-0 deficit, which had come on a solo homer by Yangervis Solarte off Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty in the fourth.

The Cardinals added an unearned run in the eighth off Padres reliever Kirby Yates. Pinch-hitter Breyvic Valera drew a walk to open the inning and stole second. Dexter Fowler then hit a soft line drive to Wil Myers that ricocheted off the first baseman's glove for an error that allowed Valera to take third. Valera scored on Harrison Bader's sacrifice fly to right.

The Padres opened the ninth with back-to-back singles by Hector Sanchez and Jabari Blash off Tyler Lyons, who then struck out Erick Aybar and Matt Szczur before retiring Cory Spangenberg on a fly to center to get his second save. Reliever Ryan Sherriff (1-1) got credit for the win.

Through six innings, the only hit allowed by Lamet was a one-out, first-inning single by Bader that just cleared the leap of second baseman Carlos Asuaje. After Bader's single, Lamet retired seven straight hitters before Fowler drew a two-out walk in the third.

Through the first six innings, Lamet never allowed more than one Cardinal to reach base in an inning, with no runner reaching second. One of the three walks he issued was erased in a double play.

Flaherty held his own with Lamet in his second career start. When he departed after five innings, Flaherty's only blemish was Solarte's homer leading off the fourth.

After throwing a strike to get ahead of Solarte, Flaherty threw an 88 mph changeup that the Padres' third baseman drove into the right-field stands. It was the career-high 16th homer of the season for Solarte.

Flaherty allowed three hits and four walks, with four strikeouts. Flaherty threw 86 pitches, 52 for strikes.

Flaherty worked his way out of a jam in the second with the help of some cautious base-running by Lamet.

The Padres' pitcher lopped a short fly to right with one out that landed in front of Piscotty then bounced past the Cardinal. But Lamet stopped at first. Asuaje followed with a hit to the gap in left-center. But Lamet stopped at second.

After Myers walked to load the bases, Jose Pirela hit a one-hopper to Alex Mejia that the Cardinals' third baseman converted into an inning-ending double play.

NOTES: The Cardinals acquired RHP Juan Nicasio, 31, from the Phillies on Wednesday in exchange for minor league INF Eliezer Alvarez. ... Cardinals INF Matt Carpenter had an injection in his right shoulder and will miss several more games. ... CF Dexter Fowler returned to the Cardinals' starting lineup after missing three games with a sore hip. ... INF Jedd Gyorko, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 27 with a right hamstring strain, is running and St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he is close to returning. ... Padres LHP Robbie Erlin, who has missed the entire season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, pitched a simulated game at Petco Park on Wednesday and will continue throwing in the Arizona Instructional League and possibly winter ball.