Cardinals at Padres
Wil Myers has been swinging a hot bat, recording hits in seven consecutive games, as the San Diego Padres enter Saturday's
contest against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Myers went 3-for-3
with a homer, a double and three RBIs in Friday's series-opening 4-1
victory and is 13-for-31 during his hitting streak.
Myers helped the Padres win for the fourth time in six games as they continue to rebound from a 3-8 start. San Diego has belted just 14 homers, with Matt Kemp (five) and Myers (four) combining for 64.3 percent of them. St. Louis has dropped four of its last six games to fall to .500 on the season and has scored just seven runs over the last four contests. The hot-hitting Yadier Molina was 1-for-4 on Friday and is 15-for-34 with six RBIs over his last 10 games.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (1-0, 2.76 ERA) vs. Padres RH Cesar Vargas (NR)
Wacha has allowed just one earned run over 12 innings in his last two starts and has walked just one batter in each of his three outings. He performed well in two starts against San Diego last season, going 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Wacha won his lone appearance at Petco Park on Aug. 23, when he gave up one run and five hits in six innings.
Vargas will be recalled from Double-A San Antonio to fill the rotation spot of Robbie Erlin (elbow) and was stunned at his promotion despite being scratched from his start on Thursday. "I had no idea. Nobody really knew, everyone told me to stay calm," Vargas told reporters in San Diego. "I thought maybe it could have been that it's my first year as a starter and they were resting me there, but, really, I had no idea." The 24-year-old Vargas signed with the Padres in the offseason after being a reliever for most of his seven years in the minor-league system of the New York Yankees.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter was hitless in four at-bats on Friday and is 4-for-25 over his last seven games.
2. San Diego RHP Fernando Rodney converted his third save in the opener and hasn't allowed an earned run in 6 1/3 innings this season.
3. St. Louis INF Jedd Gyorko - acquired from the Padres in the offseason -- is 3-for-20 over his last nine games.