Our Padres were on quite a roll, but since going to St. Louis they've hit a speed bump. They still have a chance to split the series, however, if they can bounce back for these final two games at Busch Stadium.
Jesse Hahn gets the start in game 3 of the four-game set, still seeking his first win this month. After winning three straight starts in July, the rookie has gone 0-1 in his two August outings, giving up six runs - all of which resulted from long balls. He hadn't allowed a home run in his eight starts prior to those two games, and overall he's been one of the brightest spots of this 2014 season for the Friars, so hopefully his recent struggles are just minor, temporary kinks that he needs to work out. Hahn was fantastic in his previous appearance against the Cardinals, which was his most recent win. On July 30th, he kept the Redbirds to just one run on four hits while matching his season-long outing of seven innings.
And the Padres offense definitely helped Hahn in that game, collecting 16 hits and 12 runs. They've collected 16 hits as well through the first two game of this road series, but only got five runs to show for it. One positive to take away is that seven out of their sixteen hits have been doubles, and they've also gotten seven free bases via walks. But the team has struck out 15 times in these past two games and, as mentioned, have had trouble getting runners home. They've also lost some of their offense with Yonder Alonso and Everth Cabrera both hitting the disabled list and Yangervis Solarte sitting out two nights in a row with a strained oblique. Solarte was instrumental in their last series against the Cardinals, going 5-for-12 with a home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, and only one strikeout through the three games at home. Hopefully he can recover quickly and rejoin the lineup soon.
But for now the Cards will try to continue taking advantage of the recently weakened Padres lineup as they send Shelby Miller to secure the series win this afternoon. Miller got the win when he faced the Friars on July 31st, giving up two runs on three hits through six frames at Petco Park. He also struck out five in that outing, which was his only win in his last 12 starts. Like Hahn, Miller has struggled with the long ball lately. He's given up five homers over his last four starts, spanning 23 2/3 innings. That includes his July start in San Diego - his two runs allowed coming off solo shots bu Jedd Gyorko and Will Venable. Prior to that four-game stretch, he had kept opponents to five homers over 14 starts. In three career outings (two starts) against San Diego, the righty is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA.
Tune in at 4:15 PT to see if our Padres can get back in the win column and keep hope alive for a series split in St. Louis.
And don't forget to check out today's SB Nation Fantasy Baseball league on FanDuel. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. There's also an MLB Squeeze (Late Night) league with a first prize of $1,200 if you miss the first one. You can join at this link.