The San Diego Padres have been one of the worst teams in baseball this season, but a recent surge in their offense has the team stringing together some impressive wins. After a strong showing against the Atlanta Braves, the Padres have been trying to do the same against the St. Louis Cardinals who are at risk of getting swept on the road and lose footing in the National League stands.
The Padres' offense has hit an unexpected high note. On Wednesday, the team tied a season high of 16 hits as they beat the Cardinals 12-1. This comes after they put together a season-high 13 runs against the Chicago Cubs. San Diego has only scored in double digits four times this season as hitters like Yangervis Solarte is averaging .364 since getting traded and Will Venable is driving in home runs. Right now, their offense is matching the success of their pitching as the Padres' pitchers rank third in league with a combined 3.14 ERA. The starters have a 2.88 ERA over the last seven games.
Rookie Odrisamer Despaigne is helping keep that up as he is 2-2 with a 1.66 ERA and coming off an outing where he came just four outs from pitching a no-hitter against the New York Mets. He followed that up with a five run performance against the Atlanta Braves.
The rookie pitcher could string together a solid game against the slumping Cardinals who have the second-worst offense in the league compared to the Padres. The team has just one run in three straight games while also allowing their most runs over the past two months. Pitcher Shelby Miller will try and stop that as he is 7-8 with a 4.20 ERA on the year. He gave up two runs and three hits against the Cubs but has not gone past six innings in five straight starts. Miller has been inconsistent all season, but the Cardinals need him to help bring some momentum soon.
