SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jordan Walker doubled and scored the tiebreaking run on Masyn Winn’s triple in the seventh inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night.
Alec Burleson homered in the opener of a seven-game California trip for the Cardinals, who have won eight of 10.
Matthew Liberatore (2-1) yielded three hits and three walks over six innings with six strikeouts for St. Louis. His bullpen gave up one hit while
facing the minimum nine batters, with Riley O’Brien pitching the ninth for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.
After starter Michael King pitched six innings of one-hit ball for San Diego, Walker led off the seventh against rookie Bradgley Rodriguez (0-2) with a double off the wall. Walker scored when Nick Castellanos tried and failed to make a diving catch on Winn’s tailing fly to right field.
Xander Bogaerts drove in a run in the first inning for the Padres, who opened a four-game series with their sixth loss in their last eight home games. San Diego has dropped six of nine overall.
King issued two walks and struck out six, but Burleson pulled a changeup out to right in the fourth.
Manny Machado drew a two-out walk and eventually scored on Bogaerts' check-swing single in the first.
Padres catcher Rodolfo Durán made his major league debut after spending parts of 12 seasons in the minors, going 0 for 3.
The 28-year-old Durán ripped a 380-foot drive in the sixth with a 107.9 mph exit velocity, but Victor Scott II caught it in deep center field. Durán then threw out Scott in the eighth when he tried to steal second.
Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA) makes his second start for the Padres after a solid five-inning debut. The Cards counter with Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52), who grew up an hour north of Petco Park in San Clemente, California.
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