Cardinals at Padres
No team has received such impressive production from its bench than the St. Louis Cardinals, who look to climb above .500 on the road in Sunday's finale of its three-game series at the San Diego Padres. Jeremy Hazelbaker's tiebreaking three-run blast propelled the Cardinals to an 11-2 romp on Saturday and was their major league-leading seventh pinch-hit homer.
Hazelbacker wasn't the only rookie to shine for St. Louis in Saturday's rout. Aledmys Diaz went 5-for-5 with a pair of RBIs to boost his batting average to a lofty .467. Jedd Gyorko, acquired in a trade with San Diego in the offseason, also tormented his former team with a three-run blast of his own as St. Louis scored in double digits for the fifth time in 13 games. The Padres, who fell to 4-4 on their nine-game homestand, send Colin Rea to the mound to oppose Cardinals right-hander Mike Leake in the series finale.
TV: 4:40 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Mike Leake (0-2, 5.71 ERA) vs. Padres RH Colin Rea (1-1, 5.51)
Leake remains winless despite showing improvement in each of his three starts, taking the loss versus the Chicago Cubs last time out after giving up three of his four runs in the seventh inning. In his first season with St. Louis after signing as a free agent in the offseason, Leake also surrendered four runs in his previous two starts. Leake, who was born in San Diego, has made six starts against the Padres, posting a 1-2 record and 3.31 ERA.
Rea was not particularly sharp but managed to notch his first victory of the season by going five innings and giving up three runs and seven hits versus Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He was a hard-luck loser in his previous turn at Philadelphia, permitting two runs (one earned) and five hits over seven frames. Rea made his third major-league start and suffered his first loss against St. Louis in 2015, allowing five runs (four earned) in four innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres 1B Wil Myers has his safely in eight straight games.
2. Cardinals RHP Seung Hwan Oh fanned the side Saturday, giving him 16 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings.
3. The Padres placed INF/OF Alexi Amarista on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a right hamstring strain.