Cardinals, Padres continue series
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The St. Louis Cardinals try to maintain their spot as one of the National League's two wild card leaders on Tuesday when they continue a three-game set with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
St. Louis continued to struggle in Monday's opener, as Cameron Maybin went 3- for-4 with a two-run home run and San Diego cruised to an 11-3 win.
Maybin also scored three times, while Chris Denorfia had four hits and a pair of RBI. Will Venable added a two-run single and had three RBI, and Logan Forsythe went 3-for-6 with an RBI and finished a home run short of the cycle for the Padres, who have won five of their last six games.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Eric Stults (6-2) allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings to notch his fifth consecutive positive decision.
Peter Kozma stroked a two-run triple and Allen Craig added an RBI single for the Cardinals, who fell for the fourth time in their last five games and saw their wild card lead cut to one game over the idle Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jaime Garcia (4-7) lasted just three innings and allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He has lost five of his last six starts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I didn't get the job done. I left the ball up and didn't execute," Garcia said.
St. Louis stands a good chance of righting its ship on Tuesday behind right- hander Adam Wainwright, who tossed a four-hit shutout to beat the Padres back on May 22. He is 3-1 lifetime against them with a 1.07 ERA in seven games (4 starts).
Wainwright, though, has lost his last two starts and fell to the New York Mets on Wednesday, allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings. He is 13-12 on the year with a 4.04 ERA.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Diego will counter with righty Edinson Volquez, who is 9-10 with a 4.27 ERA. Volquez was hit hard in a loss to Colorado back on Sept. 1, as he surrendered five runs and nine hits in only 4 2/3 innings.
"There's nothing you can do on those kinds of days," said Volquez, whose return to the mound was delayed by a blister on his throwing hand. "You can't complain. That's just part of the game."
Volquez was on the wrong end of Wainwright's gem back in May and is 1-4 in seven starts versus the Cardinals with a 5.59 ERA.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}St. Louis swept the Padres earlier in the season and has won six of the last eight meetings in the series.