First pitch is 1:15 PM CT and the Padres send Bradgley Rodriguez (1-2, 2.16) to the mound on a get-away day they desperately need. Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.64) gets the ball for St. Louis, riding the wave of a rotation that has looked unhittable in this series.
The bigger story for San Diego is the bats — or lack of them. Dustin May took a perfect game into the 7th on Monday and finished a 1-hit shutout, then Andre Pallante carved up the same lineup Tuesday in a 3-2 grinder. That's a grand total of 2 runs across 2 games, and the Padres are missing pieces all over the diagram: Cronenworth, Fermin, Campusano, Andujar, Laureano. There's not a lot of cavalry coming.
Leahy's profile is interesting in a spot like this. His 4.64 ERA isn't sparkling and the last time out against Minnesota he gave up 4 earned in 5 innings, but he's pitched better at home and he's facing an offense that just managed 0 runs across 18 innings against May and Pallante. The matchup advantage doesn't have to be elite to play here — it just has to keep the line moving.
Rodriguez is the wild card. The 2.16 ERA sparkles, but the last outing on the books was a 1-inning, 11-pitch cameo back on May 12. Whatever the Padres are doing with him — bullpen game, opener, short hook — they aren't getting length, and the bullpen behind him is operating without Estrada and (temporarily) without Mason Miller, who's on the bereavement list after closing things out in Baltimore last weekend.
- 7-day ilFreddy Fermin C — The Padres placed Fermin (concussion) on the 7-day injured list Sunday.
- 7-Day ILJake Cronenworth 2B — Cronenworth (concussion) has been participating in light baseball activities and is "ramping up," per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — Campusano (toe) continues to rehab in Arizona but hasn't yet been scheduled for a minor-league rehab assignment, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILMiguel Andujar DH — Andujar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
- bereavementMason Miller RP — Miller secured the save Sunday against the Orioles, throwing 1.1 clean innings. He struck out three.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) made his first rehab appearance with Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — Marquez (forearm) tossed four scoreless innings for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out two batters.
- 15-Day-ILJeremiah Estrada RP — Estrada (2-2) picked up the loss after giving up the eventual game-winning run in a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) has been sent to the Cardinals' Florida Complex League affiliate to begin a rehab assignment.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez RP — Fernandez (back) is on track to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- 60-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The line tells the rest of the story. Cardinals -1.5 was juiced from +185 to +156 overnight, which is a real move on a run line and a tell that the market thinks St. Louis is the better team and the better pitching staff in this spot. San Diego at 37-35 is treading water, St. Louis at 40-31 looks like the steadier club, and the Padres need to find a pulse at the plate fast or this short trip becomes a full sweep.