Good Morning San Diego: Padres do just enough to beat Cardinals 4-2; Mason Miller strikes out four… in one inning

TL;DR

The San Diego Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2, with Mason Miller striking out four batters in one inning. Manny Machado's home run in the eighth inning helped secure the win at Petco Park.

Key points

Padres won 4-2 against the Cardinals
Mason Miller struck out four batters in one inning
Manny Machado hit a solo home run in the eighth inning
Randy Vasquez pitched five innings with one run allowed

San Diego PadresSt. Louis CardinalsMason MillerManny Machado

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres reacts after striking out JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 in a game at Petco Park on May 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images The San Diego Padres entered the top of the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Padres reliever Adrian Morejon was on the mound and manager Craig Stammen was following the blueprint to a San Diego win. Randy Vasquez started the game and pitched five innings of one-run ball scattering six hits without allowing a walk and striking out six. Jeremiah Estrada worked a scoreless sixth and Jason Adam followed with a scoreless seventh. Morejon was *supposed* to pitch a scoreless eighth before handing the ball to Mason Miller to close out the win. It did not happen that way. Instead, Morejon hit JJ Weatherholt to put a runner on with one out. He then allowed a double to , which scored Weatherholt and cut the Padres lead to one run. Morejon faced lefty and got him to ground out for the second out of the inning, but then Stammen called on Miller for a four-out save. The right-hander did his job in the top of the eighth and got one of the Cardinals’ hottest hitters in to ground out to end the inning, stranding the tying run at second base. launched a one-out solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning to push the lead to 4-2, but San Diego did not score any additional insurance runs. Miller returned to the mound in the top of the ninth inning and looked less than dominant… kind of. Miller allowed a leadoff walk, recorded a strikeout and then allowed the second walk of the inning to put runners at first and second base. Miller then recorded his second strikeout of the inning and followed that with his third strikeout, but was unable to keep the ball in front of him and was able to reach first base safely to load the bases. Miller then faced Weatherholt and froze him with a fastball down the middle for the , earning the save and the win. opened the scoring for San Diego with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1. came up with two out and runners at second and third and dumped a shallow fly ball in right field, which allowed two runs to score to put the Padres ahead, 3-1. The Padres will play for the split when they host the Cardinals in the fourth game of the series at 1:10 p.m. **Padres News:**

Q&A

What was the final score of the Padres vs. Cardinals game on May 9, 2026?

The final score was 4-2 in favor of the San Diego Padres.

How many strikeouts did Mason Miller record in one inning against the Cardinals?

Mason Miller recorded four strikeouts in one inning.

Who hit a home run for the Padres in the eighth inning?

Manny Machado hit a one-out solo home run in the eighth inning.

What was the performance of Padres pitcher Randy Vasquez in the game?

Randy Vasquez pitched five innings, allowing one run on six hits without any walks and striking out six batters.