Padres Defeat Cardinals 6-1 to Avoid Series Sweep

The San Diego Padres avoided a series sweep with a decisive 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill each drove in two runs and collected three hits, leading the Padres' offensive effort. Merrill punctuated his three-hit performance with a two-run home run in the ninth inning, his eighth of the season. Tatis, a Dominican player, also stole a base and has been on a hot streak, batting .354 (48-17) with four doubles and one home run over his last 11 games.

San Diego connected for 14 hits in the game but struggled with runners in scoring position, going 4-for-14 and stranding 10 runners on base. The performance stood in sharp contrast to their earlier losses in the series, when the Padres managed just two runs and five total hits across consecutive defeats to the Cardinals.

On the mound, Griffin Canning worked 4 1/3 innings in relief for the Padres, allowing four hits and one run. This marked his sixth relief appearance of his career, supplementing eight starts he made earlier in the season. Bradgley Rodriguez opened the second bullpen game of the series for San Diego, pitching the first inning. For the Cardinals, Kyle Leahy took the loss after working six innings, dropping his record to 5-4. The defeat ended St. Louis's six-game home winning streak.