Five relievers pitch Padres past Cardinals, 4-2
Relievers Matt Strahm and Adam Cimber retired the first 15 Cardinals they faced in a "bullpen start" and Eric Hosmer homered to start a three-run rally against St. Louis right-hander Miles Mikolas in the top of the fourth Tuesday night, leading the visiting Padres to a 4-2 win at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals didn't have a baserunner until Harrison Bader led off the sixth with an infield single to third. St. Louis then scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Padres right-handed reliever Craig Stammen.
Left-hander Strahm made his third start in a game shared by Padres relievers and retired all nine hitters he faced with four strikeouts.
The right-handed Cimber (3-2) worked the next three scoreless innings, allowing only Bader's hit with three strikeouts to get credit for the win. Five Padres relievers combined for a second straight "bullpen win," allowing two runs on five hits, no walks and a hit batter. They combined for nine strikeouts. Left-hander Brad Hand recorded his 20th save.
Hosmer broke up a scoreless tie with his ninth homer of the season leading off the fourth. Hosmer's drive over the center field fence was the first homer given up by Mikolas at Busch Stadium this season.
Mikolas retired the next two Padres before Cory Spangenberg reached base on a line drive back to the mound that struck Mikolas and rolled toward the third base foul line. Mikolas stayed in the game and gave up three more singles with two outs.
Freddy Galvis singled Spangenberg to second, and the Padres loaded the bases on an infield single by Manuel Margot. A.J. Ellis then hit a two-run single to right.
Mikolas allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts in six innings to fall to 7-2 with a 2.43 ERA.
The Padres took a 4-0 lead with a manufactured run in the top of the seventh. Margot opened the inning with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ellis and scored on Christian Villanueva's groundout.
The Cardinals got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Matt Carpenter opened with a single after the third baseman Spangenberg was unable to catch his foul pop. Tommy Pham followed with a single and Marcell Ozuna broke up the shutout with a one-out RBI single. Pham scored on a groundout to third by Yadier Molina.
--Field Level Media
