The Cardinals Are Barking Their Way Through San Diego and Nobody Saw This Coming

Everyone figured the St. Louis Cardinals' 2026 season would be basically dead by summer. Wrong. The only noise coming out of the Cardinal dugout right now is players woofing after homers and another win. Friday night's 6-0 shutout of the San Diego Padres at Petco Park was St. Louis' ninth win in their last 11 games, and they are coming back Saturday to finish off the Padres in this four-game series.

Let's talk about what is actually happening here. This is one of the youngest rosters in baseball, and they are having a blast doing it. Rookie outfielder Nathan Church literally barked to celebrate a series win against Tampa Bay back in March, and now the whole team has taken "got that dawg in me" to the next level. When someone goes deep, the guys present them with a fake gold chain and the howling begins. It sounds ridiculous. It is also working.

Dominant Pitching Is the Real Story

Friday night Michael McGreevy threw a one-hitter with help from two relievers. That followed Matthew Liberatore and McGreevy combining to give up just four hits over 12 innings in the first two games of the series. The Cardinals have won six straight road games and own series wins against the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Dustin May (3-3, 5.15 ERA) takes the ball Saturday, trying to keep the mound dominance alive. May pitched against the Dodgers on Sunday and allowed seven hits and three runs over six innings with two walks and three strikeouts in a 4-1 loss. He is 2-4 with a 3.80 ERA in 13 career games (10 starts) against San Diego.

San Diego Cannot Find a Hit

The Padres are in serious offensive trouble. San Diego has managed just five hits in this series with none for extra bases and hasn't scored since the first inning of Thursday's 2-1 loss. Friday night was the Padres' seventh loss in their past 10 games. Catcher Ivan Herrera went off Friday for the Cardinals with four hits. Center fielder Jackson Merrill said the offensive funk will end soon, "Every team goes through it," he said. "You've seen us do it. We know it's in there. I think it's just a matter of time."

Randy Vasquez (3-1, 3.20 ERA) starts for San Diego on Saturday after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings in a 3-2 loss to the Giants on Monday. He is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.