Padres hand Cardinals fourth straight loss

ST. LOUIS -- Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko delivered a game-tying home run and the game-winning single to send San Diego to a 2-1 win over St. Louis in front of a sellout crowd at Busch Stadium. St. Louis has now lost four straight, its longest losing streak of the season.

Gyorko took Cards starter Michael Wacha deep in the seventh for his third home run of the season and then stepped to the plate against Trevor Rosenthal after Yangervis Solarte's one-out triple in the ninth. Rosenthal, who hadn't been scored upon since May 3, served up the RBI single on the eighth pitch of the at-bat.

"[Rosenthal] is tough. He's got a ... what, 0.50 ERA? There's a reason why he's got good stuff. [I was] kind of battling, went back and forth, there were a couple of pitches that were close. I was able to get a barrel on the last slider," Gyorko said.

Neither starter factored in the decision, though both pitched well. Wacha was denied his 11th win despite allowing just one run over seven innings. His counterpart, Andrew Cashner, retired the first 10 batters he faced and finished six-plus innings with one run allowed.

"You can see how the game is going," Wacha said. "Cashner, he was putting up zeros, so you've got to try and match him. You've got to keep us in the game, and I was trying to, and that one got away from me, and I ended up giving up the homer there."

Video: SD@STL: Wacha goes seven superb innnings

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Gyork Store called ...: Gyorko returned from Triple-A El Paso last week looking to carry forward some good hitting habits. He did so on Friday, hitting a game-tying home run off Wacha in the seventh inning. It was his first home run since May 17. He then knocked in the go-ahead run in the ninth.

"Jedd's feeling great about who he is. His two-strike approach is better, he's hitting the ball to right-center. He looks great. This is the Jedd Gyorko I knew three or four years ago in Spring Training," said Padres interim manager Pat Murphy. More >

Needing more: The Cardinals' issues with runners in scoring position continued to squash scoring opportunities. The club loaded the bases in the fifth but scored just once, as Xavier Scruggs hit into a double play, scoring Jason Heyward, and Tommy Pham grounded out. Then, with Peter Bourjos on third and one out in the eighth inning of a tie game, the Cards came up empty. The Cardinals have one hit in their last 35 at-bats with a runner in scoring position.

"It's a shame we're kind of at that point where we have bases loaded, nobody out, and we are almost happy when we get one because we have so many swing-and-misses in those situations," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Once again, it's a spot our club is in right now. ... It's the little things, and when you don't get the little things done in games like these, it's not going to work out for you. That's where we are right now." More >

Let it fly: Padres right fielder Matt Kemp got his eighth assist of the season -- the most he's had since 2011 (11) -- when he doubled up Matt Carpenter, who didn't make it back to first base in time on Jhonny Peralta's fly ball. Kemp is now tied with Colorado's Charlie Blackmon for the National League lead in assists.

Video: SD@STL: Kemp turns two from right field

Not so Rosey: Rosenthal's streak of scoreless innings ended at 23 2/3 with Gyorko's one-out RBI hit in the ninth. Rosenthal had not been scored upon since May 3, a span of 23 appearances. His streak was the longest by a NL reliever this season.

"It's been a good run," Rosenthal said. "[It's a] tough spot to give up one. I wish we had been up a couple and it wouldn't have mattered. It's just always tough putting us in a situation to lose." More >

QUOTABLE
"That's not in his game. The home run once in a while, a double, but not the triple. That was well placed." -- Murphy, on Solarte's triple in the ninth inning, which set up the go-ahead run

MEDICAL REPORT
Scruggs left the game after taking a pitch off his left forearm in the eighth inning, but said afterward that Joaquin Benoit's ball "mainly got muscle." Scruggs, who is not expected to be sidelined by the issue, would have been replaced by pinch-runner Bourjos regardless of the situation, Matheny said.

FEELING RELIEF
The Padres' bullpen came up big, as Brandon Maurer entered a one-on, no-outs spot in the seventh. He got Yadier Molina to bounce into a 5-6-3 double play and then completed the inning. Then, in the eighth, the Cardinals got a runner to third base with one out, but Benoit struck out Greg Garcia and got Kolten Wong on a fly ball for the final out.

WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: Odrisamer Despaigne will get the start against the Cardinals. Despaigne allowed 11 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings against St. Louis a year ago and has a 5.47 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) on the road in his short career.

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez draws the Independence Day start for the Cardinals, who have won 12 of his 15 starts this season. Martinez is seeking to become the club's second 10-game winner. He also leads the staff in strikeouts, with 100.

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