Jake Cronenworth delivered a go-ahead RBI single during the Padres’ two-run seventh inning, leading San Diego to a 7-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. This win marked their third straight victory.
Manny Machado hit a home run for the Padres, and Luis Arraez had three hits. Yuki Matsui (4-2) pitched one inning for the win, while Tanner Scott secured his 20th save of the season in 22 chances.
Padres pitcher Dylan Cease threw 96 pitches over 4 1/3 innings in the heat, with the game starting at 98 degrees. He allowed four runs and seven hits.
“It was hot, but it wasn’t something that was on my mind or anything like that,” Cease said. “I was just out of sync today. I have to figure out the way I was and get back to it.”
Paul Goldschmidt hit a home run for the Cardinals, who lost three out of their last four games. Miles Mikolas allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Cardinals took a 5-4 lead with three runs in the fifth inning. Lars Nootbaar hit an RBI single, and Goldschmidt followed with a two-run home run.
“I felt like our approach was good,” said Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol. “We did a lot of good things but that extra push got him off the hook. I felt like several times you could have buried him at one point in that game and created a big enough gap where it’s difficult for them to come back. I felt like our inability to come through in that situation was tough.”
In response, the Padres scored two runs in the seventh. Mason McCoy walked and moved to second on Arraez’s single, then advanced to third on a double steal.
McCoy scored on Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly, and Arraez crossed the plate on Cronenworth’s hit after a nine-pitch at-bat against lefty John King (3-3).
“I trust him,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Cronenworth. “You know he’s going to take a quality at-bat. He wants big moments. So it was either Croney versus a guy that has been out and coming back out versus a guy coming in fresh and (Donovan) Solano.”
