These days, it seems the St. Louis Cardinals are unfazed by their opponent, as manager Oliver Marmol expressed confidence in his team’s current form. “With the way we’re playing, right now, I’m comfortable playing just about anybody,” Marmol said, noting his squad’s 8-2 record over the last 10 games. “It has more to do with the consistency right now than anything.”
That consistency was on display Thursday night, when St. Louis edged the San Diego Padres 2-1 to open a seven-game road trip. The Cardinals aim to secure back-to-back victories against the Padres on Friday.
Thursday’s win was anchored by pitching and defense. Matthew Liberatore allowed just one run on three hits over six innings, and the bullpen surrendered only one hit across three scoreless frames. This marked a shift from recent victories, which have often relied on a potent offense. St. Louis managed only five hits in the series opener, though Alec Burleson crushed his sixth homer of the season and Masyn Winn delivered a go-ahead RBI triple in the seventh inning.
The win improved St. Louis’ road record to 12-5. “We have the same mindset every day where we’re trying to play hard, play the right way and win games,” Burleson said. “We just show up and do the things that we do — and it’s worked out for us on the road so far.”
May 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a double during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Cardinals also feel confident when right-hander Michael McGreevy (2-2, 2.52 ERA) takes the mound. He tossed six shutout innings on Saturday in a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, yielding only three hits and three walks while striking out three. McGreevy, 25, has faced San Diego twice in his young career, going 1-1 with a 9.28 ERA and allowing 16 hits over 10 2/3 innings.
Opposing him will be Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (0-0, 1.80 ERA), 29, who made his first start with the club on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox. He gave up one run on three hits while striking out seven over five innings in a 4-3 win. It was his first MLB game since suffering a season-ending Achilles injury last June while with the New York Mets. In four career starts against St. Louis, Canning is 3-1 with a 3.63 ERA, including a win in April 2025 when he pitched for the Mets.
Padres manager Craig Stammen praised Canning’s debut, during which he struck out his last four batters. “He has the potential to be someone we can rely on,” Stammen said. “This is one start for him. He’s coming off a major injury. There’s bound to be hiccups. But he’s off to a good start.”
The Padres, meanwhile, continue to struggle offensively. After scoring 15 runs on 20 hits in their last two games against San Francisco, they managed only four hits on Thursday, half of which came in the first inning. Key hitters like Manny Machado (.202), Jackson Merrill (.230), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (.252) are all batting well below their career averages, and Tatis has gone 135 at-bats without a home run to start the year.
