Cardinals continue pitching struggles, settle for series split with Padres

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cardinals are still waiting for their first series win since July 10.

St. Louis (54-53) dropped back-to-back games to San Diego (57-49), resulting in a four-game series split after Sunday's 9-2 loss at Busch Stadium.

The Redbirds currently own the third-worst record in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the month of July (7-14), largely due to lackluster pitching performances. St. Louis has allowed four runs or more in 15 of 21 games this month and owns a 5.35 ERA in July, the fifth-worst in the league.

Manager Oliver Marmol's team faced a 7-0 deficit after the first four frames of this game. Manny Machado dealt most of that damage for the Padres, hitting a pair of run-scoring doubles during that span. He finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBI's.

Alec Burleson put St. Louis on the scoreboard with a two-run shot to center field in the sixth inning, his 13th home run of the year. However, San Diego immediately responded. Xander Bogaerts hit a solo home run to lead off the seventh frame, and one inning later, Jackson Merrill added an infield RBI single to regain a seven-run lead for the Padres.

Michael McGreevy struggled on the mound, surrendering seven runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings. Collectively, the Cardinals gave up 16 hits to the Padres.

Burleson paced the Redbirds at the plate, posting a 2-for-4 performance. Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II also contributed one hit each.

Up next - St. Louis will strive to get back on track with a three-game series against Miami at Busch Stadium, starting on July 28 at 6:45 p.m.