Padres vs Cardinals Recap: Cardinals Dominate 3-0

The San Diego Padres rolled into St. Louis looking for a win after winning their last two games. The Cardinals hosted them at Busch Stadium on Monday night. San Diego's Lucas Giolito took the mound for the Padres, while Dustin May pitched for St. Louis. The Padres came in with a 37-33 record. St. Louis stood at 38-31. The Cardinals' bats woke up fast. They needed just four innings to build an early lead. By the end of the fourth, St. Louis had struck twice. San Diego's offense stayed quiet, unable to string together hits when it mattered most. The Cardinals' young pitching staff showed promise right away.

The fourth inning brought the Cardinals' first big moment. Jimmy Crooks stepped up with two outs and ripped a double toward center field. The ball flew off his bat and sailed into the gap. Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar both scored on the play. St. Louis led 2-0. One inning later, the Cardinals added insurance. Alec Burleson came to the plate with two outs again. He drove a double to right field on a changeup. Ivan Herrera raced home to make it 3-0. Lucas Giolito threw a changeup clocked at 79 miles per hour. That pitch cost him. The Padres could not catch up after that. St. Louis' offense was clicking when it counted most.

Dustin May was phenomenal for the Cardinals. The young St. Louis pitcher threw all nine innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out nine Padres batters. One walk escaped his hand, but that was it. San Diego's bats stayed silent all night long. They could not generate any offense against May's stuff. The Cardinals' defense backed him up perfectly. No errors. No mistakes. Just clean baseball. The final score sat at 3-0, Cardinals. St. Louis improved to 38-31. San Diego fell to 37-33 after the loss. May's dominant performance showed why the Cardinals believe in their young pitching staff. This win proved they can compete in a tough division. The Padres' Mason Miller was out due to a family matter.