Padres Avoid Sweep against Cardinals

Ivan Herrera of the Cardinals stealing second against the Padres

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

June 17, 2026

Padres 6, Cardinals 1

The St. Louis Cardinals could not complete the series sweep Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, falling 6-1 to the San Diego Padres in the series finale. Kyle Leahy struck out seven over six innings but took the loss. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill each drove in two runs to pace a 14-hit Padres attack. Griffin Canning earned the win in relief.

Padres Jump Ahead Early

The Padres struck in the first inning against Leahy. Samad Taylor walked, moved up on a Merrill single, and scored on a Manny Machado sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. The Padres added to the lead in the fourth, when Xander Bogaerts singled home Machado for a 2-0 advantage.

The margin grew in the fifth. Tatis doubled home Will Wagner to push it to 3-0. Leahy settled for length but absorbed the damage, finishing with seven hits and three earned runs across six innings on 81 pitches. He struck out seven and walked one.

Cardinals Manage One Run

The Cardinals’ offense never found a rhythm against the Padres staff. Their lone run came in the fifth, when Alec Burleson singled to right with two outs to score Nathan Church and cut the deficit to 3-1. Burleson finished with the team’s only RBI.

The Padres relief corps shut the door from there. Bradgley Rodriguez opened the game. Canning piggybacked with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Kyle Hart, Jason Adam, and Adrian Morejon combined for the final 3 2/3 innings.

Padres Pull Away Late

The Padres put the game away in the ninth against Chris Roycroft. Tatis singled home Sung-Mun Song to make it 4-1, and two batters later Merrill launched a two-run home run to right — a 423-foot blast — for the final margin. Roycroft was charged with three runs in 1 1/3 innings.

What Went Right for the Padres

Tatis Stays Locked In

Tatis went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI, reaching base and driving in runs at the top of the order. He was a constant threat all afternoon.

Merrill’s Power

Merrill went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and two RBI. His ninth-inning blast capped the scoring and gave the Padres breathing room.

A 14-Hit Attack

The Padres collected 14 hits and went 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Bogaerts added two hits and an RBI, and the lineup pressured Cardinals pitching from the first inning on.

What Went Right for the Cardinals

Leahy’s Strikeouts

Leahy struck out seven over six innings and gave the Cardinals length on a day the offense could not support him. He kept the game within reach into the late innings.

Burleson Drives In the Run

Burleson produced the Cardinals’ only run with a two-out single in the fifth. He finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.

What Went Wrong for the Cardinals

Offense Goes Quiet

The Cardinals managed six hits and one run, going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding six. Jordan Walker went hitless. The middle of the order as a whole could not string anything together.

Roycroft’s Rough Ninth

Roycroft surrendered three runs in 1 1/3 innings, including Merrill’s two-run homer, turning a manageable two-run deficit into a five-run loss.

Quick Hits

The Cardinals fell to 40-32. The Padres improved to 38-35.
Merrill’s two-run homer traveled 423 feet with a 106.2 mph exit velocity.
Ivan Herrera stole a base and reached twice.

Looking Ahead

Griffin Canning (1-5, 6.64 ERA) earned the win for the Padres as Kyle Leahy (5-4, 4.63 ERA) took the loss for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals open a three-game road series against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, June 18 at 6:40 pm Central at Kauffman Stadium. Starting pitchers have not yet been announced.