Pallante Shines on the Mound as Cardinals Edge Padres 3-2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andre Pallante delivered a stellar performance on the mound, tossing seven effective innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday evening. Pallante, now with an 8-4 record, recorded six strikeouts, allowing just four hits and two runs during his outing. Riley O’Brien secured his 18th save of the season.

The Cardinals struck first in the second inning when Lars Nootbaar walked and later scored on Blaze Jordan's first double of the year. Nathan Church followed with an RBI single, giving St. Louis a 2-0 advantage. Nootbaar then contributed to the scoreboard again with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, extending the lead to 3-1 for the home team.

JJ Wetherholt had a notable night, finishing 3 for 4 with a walk, which marked his fourth game this season with at least three hits. He has now joined the ranks of rookies who have achieved 65 or more hits and 10 or more home runs this season.

On the losing side, Michael King (4-6) struggled, allowing three runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Padres managed to score two runs, including an RBI single from Ty France in the fifth and a one-run double from Jackson Merrill in the sixth that brought home Fernando Tatis Jr., but that was all they could muster.

With this win, the Cardinals became the fifth team in the National League to reach the 40-win mark this season. Looking ahead, RHP Kyle Leahy (5-3, 4.64 ERA) is set to pitch for the Cardinals in the series finale against the Brewers, who have yet to name their starting pitcher.