|
 "It's hard to put into words," said the Padres first baseman. "A
hitter just feels it, something in my approach."
Whatever it was, it worked.
Myers homered in his first at-bat, added a sacrifice fly in his
second and doubled home a run in the seventh as the Padres defeated
St. Louis 4-1 in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park.
Padres right-hander Andrew Cashner allowed a run -- a Randal Grichuk
homer -- on three hits over six innings to pick up his first win of
the season. Fernando Rodney got his third save for the Padres.
Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals fell to 0-3, allowing three runs on
seven hits in six innings.
"When he's on, he makes us go," Padres manager Andy Green said of
Myers, who was 3-for-3 with a double, a homer, three RBIs and a
stolen base. "For the last week, he's had competitive at-bats."
"I'm seeing the ball better," said Myers, who snapped a streak
Friday night by not striking out. He had struck out at least once in
each of the Padres first 16 games.
 Myers has been hitting second rather than fourth in the Padres
batting order even since second baseman Cory Spangenberg went on the
disabled list with a quad strain.
"I like hitting second because I like hitting in the first inning,"
said Myers.
Cashner (1-1) and three relievers held the Cardinals to six hits.
Fernando Rodney picked up his third save for the Padres.
"Cash was obviously very effective tonight," said Green. "He
attacked the zone with his fastball and worked out of trouble."
Wainwright, meanwhile, continued his early-season struggles.
"It's still not great, but I made more quality pitches tonight and
that is how I have to look at it," said Wainwright. "Obviously the
life on some of my stuff isn't quite there yet. The execution of a
lot of different pitches was better."
"I thought Adam took a step forward today," said Cardinals manager
Mike Matheny. "Overall, he kept us in the game the way Cashner was
coming at us."
The Cardinals wasted excellent opportunities in the fifth and
seventh innings with the Padres leading 3-1.
Pinch-hitter Aldemys Diaz opened the seventh with a single off
Padres reliever Ryan Buchter and raced to third on a double by
shortstop Ruben Tejada. But when the throw to the infield got away,
Diaz tried to score and was thrown out by third baseman Adam
Rosales, who recovered the wild throw.
"That was a heads up play by Adam and probably saved us," said
Green.
Cashner worked his way out of a jam in the top of the fifth.
Cardinals' second baseman Kolton Wong opened the fifth with a single
and moved to second when Cashner hit Tejada with a pitch.
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But after Wainwright advanced Wong and Tejada with a sacrifice bunt,
Cashner struck out third baseman Matt Carpenter to freeze the
runners at second and third then retired right fielder Stephen
Piscotty on a routine grounder to Jemile Weeks at second.
Myers helped the Padres take a 2-0 lead with a solo homer in the
first and a sacrifice fly in the third.
Wainwright entered the game with an 8.27 earned run average and had
struggled with his opening pitches to hitters in his first three
starts. Hitters were batting .706 off the first pitch they saw from
Wainwright when Myers launched a 418-foot drive to right center on
the first pitch he saw from the Cardinals' right-hander.
Cashner led off the Padres third with a bunt single pushed up the
first-base line. Cashner raced to third when center fielder Jon Jay
slashed a single off the glove of St. Louis first baseman Matt
Adams, the ricochet rolling past Wong into short right-center.
Cashner then scored on Myer's liner to the warning track in right.
St. Louis got on the board in the top of the fourth when center
fielder Randal Grichuk lined a 432-homer into the Cardinals bullpen
in left center.
The Padres got the run back in the bottom of the fourth. Second
baseman Jemile Weeks singled with two out and scored from first on
third baseman Adam Rosales' double to right-center.
The Padres stretched their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh
against Cardinals reliever Seth Maness.
Pinch-hitter Jose Pirela opened the inning with a double but was out
at third on a failed sacrifice bunt by Jay. Myers then doubled to
right center with Jay scoring from first.
NOTES: The Padres are promoting RHP Cesar Vargas from Double-A San
Antonio to start Saturday night's game against the Cardinals in the
spot vacated when LHP Robbie Erlin was placed on the 15-day disabled
list with a forearm strain . . . The Padres Friday promoted OF-2B
Jose Pirela from Triple-A El Paso and optioned RHP Leonel Campos to
the Chihuahuas. Campos was with the Padres one day and allowed seven
runs (five earned) in one-third of an inning . . . The Cardinals
gave veteran Tejada his second start at short Friday night while
giving rookie Diaz a game off . . . INF Jedd Gyorko was at Petco
Park for the first time Friday since the Padres traded him to the
Cardinals last winter for CF Jon Jay. Gyorko flew out as a
pinch-hitter.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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