San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on May 9, 2026. (David Frerker-Imagn Images)
On Saturday, Ty France and Manny Machado each launched home runs, and Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered a tiebreaking hit during a three-run fifth inning as the San Diego Padres defeated the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 4-2. The victory ended a prolonged offensive drought for the Padres.
Starter Randy Vasquez (4-1) allowed just one run on six hits over five innings, walking none and striking out six, before San Diego’s high-leverage bullpen took over. In the eighth, St. Louis touched reliever Adrian Morejon for a run on Ivan Herrera’s RBI double, which scored JJ Wetherholt. Mason Miller then entered to close out the eighth, getting Jordan Walker on a groundout, and struck out the side in the ninth for his 12th save in 12 opportunities.
Cardinals starter Dustin May (3-4) threw well except for the fifth frame, giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits across six innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts. St. Louis carried a 17-inning scoreless streak against San Diego into the contest, and May held the Padres hitless until the fifth, when France crushed a 405-foot homer to center field for his fourth of the year.
San Diego kept the pressure on with a walk to Sung-Mun Song and a single by Freddy Fermin. A passed ball from Pedro Pages moved both runners into scoring position, and after Jackson Merrill struck out, Tatis lofted a two-run single to short right, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead.
Machado added insurance in the eighth with a solo homer to left-center, ending an 0-for-24 skid that had dropped his average to .195.
St. Louis threatened in the ninth off Miller, who walked Nolan Gorman and Nathan Church to put two on with one out
