Monday's match report: Padres 7, Cardinals 4
By Rob Rains
August was not a good month for Kyle Gibson and the Cardinals.
With the team running out of room to make the wild-card playoffs, they handed the ball to Gibson on Monday night to start a crucial series at Busch Stadium against the Padres, the current holders of the second wild-card spot.
It went about as well as Gibson's first four starts this month.
He allowed a two-run home run to Manny Machado in the opening inning, gave up two more runs in the third inning, and then was thrown out of the game when the Padres scored three runs in the fifth inning en route to the win.
Gibson threw a strike on the first pitch to only 11 of the 23 batters he faced and caused only three swings and misses in his 90 pitches.
Gibson has not won any of his five starts this month and has a combined ERA of 6.91 in those games, allowing 21 runs in 27 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals are 9-14 in August and are back under .500 for the season at 65-66.
This is how the game went on Monday evening:
On the plate: Paul Goldschmidt got his first hit with a runner in scoring position in two weeks (Aug. 12) and scored the Cardinals' first run in the second inning on Brendan Donovan's triple. That ended Goldschmidt's 0-for-11 streak with a runner on second or third base… He then struck out with a runner on third base in the fourth inning before Matt Carpenter brought the run home on a sacrifice fly… Back-to-back doubles by Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson gave the Cardinals their third run in the seventh inning… Winn had a three-hit night, also reached first base on a walk and scored the final run in the ninth inning on Burleson's third hit of the game… They finished the season 3 for 11 with a runner in scoring position and 6 for 34 with a runner on second or third base in their final four games, continuing one of their biggest offensive problems this season.
On the hill: This was the third time this season that Gibson allowed seven runs. He allowed five hits and four walks, leaving him winless since the All-Star break. His last win was on July 7… Relievers Matthew Liberatore, Shawn Armstrong, John King and Kyle Leahy combined to prevent the Padres from extending their lead in the final four innings.
Important statistics: The announced attendance of 28,697 was the third consecutive crowd of less than 30,000 at Busch Stadium, the first time since April 27-29, 2004.
Noteworthy: Michael Siani will begin a rehab assignment at Triple A Memphis on Tuesday in Iowa… Steven Matz will start this game as it will likely be his last rehab assignment. He is expected to throw about 65 pitches… Lance Lynn completed a second live batting practice on Monday night, a simulated game of about five innings. He will also join Memphis this week and start either Friday or Saturday night.
Outlook: Miles Mikolas will start in the second game of the four-game series on Tuesday night.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
