The St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> could not complete the series sweep Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, falling 6-1 to the San Diego Padres <\/a>in the series finale. Kyle Leahy<\/a> struck out seven over six innings but took the loss. Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/a> and Jackson Merrill<\/a> each drove in two runs to pace a 14-hit Padres attack. Griffin Canning<\/a> earned the win in relief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Padres struck in the first inning against Leahy. Samad Taylor<\/a> walked, moved up on a Merrill single, and scored on a Manny Machado<\/a> sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. The Padres added to the lead in the fourth, when Xander Bogaerts<\/a> singled home Machado for a 2-0 advantage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The margin grew in the fifth. Tatis doubled home Will Wagner<\/a> 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Cardinals’ offense never found a rhythm against the Padres staff. Their lone run came in the fifth, when Alec Burleson<\/a> singled to right with two outs to score Nathan Church<\/a> and cut the deficit to 3-1. Burleson finished with the team’s only RBI.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Padres relief corps shut the door from there. Bradgley Rodriguez<\/a> opened the game. Canning piggybacked with 4 1\/3 innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Kyle Hart<\/a>, Jason Adam<\/a>, and Adrian Morejon<\/a> combined for the final 3 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Padres put the game away in the ninth against Chris Roycroft<\/a>. Tatis singled home Sung-Mun Song<\/a> to make it 4-1, and two batters later Merrill launched a two-run home run to right \u2014 a 423-foot blast \u2014 for the final margin. Roycroft was charged with three runs in 1 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Burleson produced the Cardinals’ only run with a two-out single in the fifth. He finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Cardinals managed six hits and one run, going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding six. Jordan Walker<\/a> went hitless. The middle of the order as a whole could not string anything together.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPadres Jump Ahead Early<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Cardinals Manage One Run<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Padres Pull Away Late<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Went Right for the Padres<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Tatis Stays Locked In<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Merrill’s Power<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
A 14-Hit Attack<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Went Right for the Cardinals<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Leahy’s Strikeouts<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Burleson Drives In the Run<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Went Wrong for the Cardinals<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Offense Goes Quiet<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Roycroft’s Rough Ninth<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Quick Hits<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Looking Ahead<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\r\n