Willson Contreras slammed a two-run homer off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning, helping the St. Louis Cardinals secure a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, clinching the first two games of a three-game series.
Miles Mikolas (1-1), who started his major league career with San Diego back in 2012, improved his record to 3-2 against his former team. He allowed two runs and seven hits across six innings. Ryan Helsley closed out the ninth inning to secure his first save in two opportunities.
Before the game, the Padres honored Larry Lucchino, their former CEO and president from 1995-2001, who played a key role in the development of Petco Park. Lucchino passed away early Tuesday morning due to congenital heart failure at the age of 78.
The Padres held a moment of silence for him before the game, displaying a picture of Lucchino holding the 1998 NL championship trophy.
Darvish (0-1), now in his fourth season with San Diego, pitched effectively until the sixth inning. With the Padres leading 2-1, Darvish walked Brendan Donovan, struck out Paul Goldschmidt, and then gave up Contreras’ homer to right field, his second of the game.
Contreras had also hit a two-run homer in St. Louis’ 6-2 victory the previous night. Manager Oliver Marmol praised Contreras, saying, “This guy is talented, competitive, and hungry for success. I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Mikolas commented on Contreras’ performance, saying, “When he connects with the ball, it’s something special. It’s exciting to hear the sound of the bat. I was secretly hoping for him to hit another one.”
The Cardinals added two more runs in the eighth inning. Yuki Matsui loaded the bases without recording an out and was replaced by Wandy Peralta. Nolan Arenado then hit a dribbler down the third-base line. Although third baseman Tyler Wade’s throw home was on time, Luis Campusano failed to tag the plate, allowing Donovan to score on the catcher’s error. Alec Burleson followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to three runs.
Marmol emphasized the importance of small details like Donovan running inside the third-base line and rookie Victor Scott II challenging the arm of right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. while hitting a double in the third inning, setting up the Cardinals’ first run.
Darvish was charged with three runs and five hits across seven innings, striking out six and walking one. San Diego took an early 2-1 lead with Luis Campusano’s RBI single in the second inning and Tyler Wade’s run-scoring double in the fourth. Scott doubled in the third and scored on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly.
