San Diego Padres vs St. Louis Cardinals Box Score on Aug 23, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Aug 23, 2017

ST. LOUIS -- Luke Weaver gave the St. Louis Cardinals what they desperately needed: A shutdown start.

The young right-hander worked seven shutout innings Wednesday night, tying a career high with 10 strikeouts as St. Louis subdued the San Diego Padres 6-2 at Busch Stadium.

Making only his third start of the year, Weaver (2-1) permitted three hits and one walk, throwing 69 of his 99 pitches for strikes. His outing allowed St. Louis (64-62) to win for only the third time in nine games and snap a 12-game streak of allowing opponents to score at least five runs.

Kolten Wong, moved to the leadoff spot with Matt Carpenter sidelined with a virus, sparked the offense by going 3-for-5 with three runs and two steals. Jedd Gyorko added two RBI singles, including one in the eighth.

The Cardinals stayed 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. But they moved within 4 1/2 games of the NL's second wild-card spot after Arizona fell 4-2 at the New York Mets.

Jhoulys Chacin (11-9) absorbed the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. Chacin walked three, fanned three and hit four batters.

St. Louis batters were hit a franchise-record five times.

San Diego (56-70) got an RBI triple from Manuel Margot in the eighth and a homer in the ninth by Cory Spangenberg, his 13th of the year.

St. Louis jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Wong and Tommy Pham ripped consecutive doubles to account for the first run, and Pham scored one out later on Dexter Fowler's sacrifice fly to left.

Gyorko upped the advantage to 3-0 in the third with a two-out infield hit with the bases loaded, scoring Wong. An inning later, a wild pickoff throw to first by Chacin plated Greg Garcia from third to make it 4-0.

Chacin's wild pitch with two outs in the fifth scored Fowler to make it 5-0, capping an inning in which the pitcher hit two batters and walked two.

Meanwhile, Weaver shut down an offense that tied its season high for runs Tuesday night. He struck out Jabari Blash with the bases loaded to end the fourth.

NOTES: St. Louis RHP Trevor Rosenthal (right elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery next week and was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Wednesday. Rosenthal, who suffered the injury Aug. 16 in Boston, went 3-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 11 saves this year. ... San Diego's first-round pick in the June draft, LHP MacKenzie Gore, suffered his first pro loss Tuesday night in the Arizona Rookie League. But Gore has allowed only two runs in 20 innings, walking four and fanning 31. ... The Cardinals purchased the contract of LHP Ryan Sherriff from Triple-A Memphis and optioned RHP Josh Lucas to Memphis. Sherriff went 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA in 48 relief appearances for the Redbirds.