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Venable's bat comes alive in St. Louis

Busch Stadium has been kind to Will Venable.

Prior to Saturday's game, the Padres outfielder was batting .435 (20-for-46) with six runs, three doubles, a triple, a homer and four RBIs in 13 career games at the Cardinals' ballpark. Venable's average is his best at any ballpark and is tops among all active Major League players at Busch Stadium.

"It's just kind of like I could feel really comfortable off a certain pitcher and Chase [Headley] could feel terrible off him," Venable said. "Or if he sees a guy great, or I see him terrible. It's just kind of one of those things where different guys have different places they like to hit, different pitchers they like to hit. And sometimes there's not a whole lot of explanation."

Venable knew he had some good games in St. Louis, but he was unaware of his impressive stretch against the Cardinals, adding that he enjoys the atmosphere of the park. He said he noticed the National Anthem was performed about 15 minutes earlier than usual Friday night, and he was impressed that Busch Stadium was still nearly filled to capacity.

"You could just tell that that baseball game was a priority for the town, for the city of St. Louis," Venable said. "They were there early. Positive energy. Even the hecklers are pretty nice. It's just a lot of tradition, just a fun place to play."

Chad Thornburg is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: San Diego Padres, Will Venable