Player of the gameGriffin CanningSDP4.1ip 4h 1er 2k
Early offense can go a long way toward putting a team in position to take advantage of a few mistakes. Padres hitters combined to go 0-for-24 in the first four innings on Monday and Tuesday night, so a first-inning run Wednesday afternoon came as a breath of fresh air. San Diego managed to add on just enough to avoid a sweep, securing a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium before continuing on to Texas for the final stop on a three-city road trip. “Whoever scores first has definitely got an advantage,” said manager Craig Stammen. “We’ve struggled a lot in the first inning this year, and to get a run in the first feels really good in the dugout.” Bradgley Rodriguez served as an opener in front of Griffin Canning, who turned in one of his top performances of the season. It was the third time this year that Canning allowed just one run, and despite covering just 4 1/3 innings, his insertion as a reliever allowed him to secure his first win as a member of the Padres. “I felt like I was attacking the zone a little bit better,” said Canning. “Just keeping the team in the game and giving us a chance to win, and then the bullpen came in and did their thing and the offense got some big runs there.” A fourth-inning double by Manny Machado, who drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly, set up Xander Bogaerts’ RBI single, and San Diego expanded the lead to three runs in the fifth on the first of two major St. Louis mistakes. A sharp line drive to center by Fernando Tatis Jr. was misjudged by Nathan Church on a gusty day at Busch Stadium, transforming a potential out into an RBI double for another insurance run. In all, six Padres reached base in the game’s first four innings. While San Diego wasn’t able to get into the St. Louis bullpen any earlier than the seventh inning, they arrived there having already built a lead that their own bullpen was able to comfortably hold. That was made easier after Tatis smacked an RBI single and Jackson Merrill crushed a two-run homer to cap a three-run ninth inning. “I knew \[it was fair\
