Game One: Cardinals 7, Padres 4
The St. Louis Cardinals scored seven runs on 13 hits en route to a Game One victory in the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. San Diego entered the series looking to avoid another early postseason exit at the hands of St. Louis. They were swept by the Cardinals in the Division Series in 1996 and 2005 and lost in four games to them in 2006. San Diego will now have to win two straight games against a team they have beaten once in 11 postseason games.
Cardinals Strike First
The Cardinals struck quickly in the top of the first inning with four runs on five hits. With one out, third baseman Tommy Edman got things going with an infield single to second. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt followed that up with a two-run blast off Padres ace Chris Paddack.
A perfect start for the @Cardinals. 💪#Postseason pic.twitter.com/ji7qYyEt2G
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2020
St. Louis continued to pile it on with an RBI single from catcher Yadier Molina and a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Matt Carpenter.
“We showed them that we’re ready to play and we sent a message,” shortstop Paul DeJong said after the game.
Cardinals Bullpen Dominates
Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim struggled, giving up five hits, three runs, and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. However, the bullpen came to the rescue for St. Louis. Relievers Ryan Helsley, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, Andrew Miller, and Alex Reyes combined to give up just three hits, two walks, and no earned runs. The only run allowed by the pen was unearned due to a fielding error at third base.
Short-Handed Rotation for San Diego
The Padres received a blow before the series started when they learned that starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet would miss the Wild Card Series. With Paddack only going 2 1/3 innings in Game One, this puts a lot of pressure on right-hander Zach Davies in Game Two to not only pitch well, but efficiently. This also puts added pressure on the Padres offense as they try to pick up the pitching staff.
“Offensively, we understand it’s going to be on us to pick those guys up,” Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “We understand our rotation is a little short-handed right now. That’s what good teams do is they pick each other up, especially in a playoff run like this.”
Up Next
The Cardinals will look to close out the series on Thursday as they send veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright (5-3, 3.15 ERA) to the mound. The Padres will counter with right-hander Zach Davies (7-4, 2.73) as they look to stay alive and force a Game Three. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
