The Friars go head-to-head against the Redbirds for the first time this season. They’ll need better production from their lineup as the trade deadline is just a week away. Here’s what to expect from Busch Stadium:

The Padres (55-47, 2nd in NL West) dropped a series to the red-hot Miami Marlins on Wednesday afternoon in a 3-2 loss. After Edward Cabrera stifled the San Diego offense on Tuesday, 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara put on his best performance of the season, tossing seven strong innings of one run baseball while fanning four batters in what could be his last start in a Marlins uniform. Jesús Sánchez’s fifth inning two-run homer off Dylan Cease backed Alcantara’s outing, as the Fish swam to a 23-12 record in their last 35 games.

The Cardinals (52-51, 4th in NL Central) lost their series to the lowly Colorado Rockies in a 6-0 shutout loss, marking the first time in 220 games that the Rockies blanked an opponent. Right-hander Tanner Gordon shutdown the St. Louis bats across six innings of work. Hunter Goodman, Tanner Beck, Austin Nola, and Kyle Farmer combined for eight hits and nine total bases against Redbirds pitching.

Pitching matchups

Thursday: Padres RHP Yu Darvish (0-2, 6.08 ERA) vs. Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (9-4, 4.04 ERA) 4:45 p.m. PT

Yu Darvish’s five innings in against the Washington Nationals on July 19 weren’t enough for a victory. The 38 year-old veteran took the loss after giving up three runs on five hits and only one strikeout. Darvish still possesses swing-and-miss stuff, but has only garnered eight strike outs in 13 1/3 innings pitched.

Right-hander Sonny Gray had a rough outing to say the least against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his previous outing. He gave up eight earned runs on 11 hits across 3 1/3 innings tossed. He’s pitched well at home this season, throwing to a 6-1 record with a 2.84 ERA and 73 strikeouts. 

Friday: Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (10-2, 2.81 ERA) vs. Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (5-7, 5.20 ERA) 4:15 p.m. PT

Nick Pivetta continued his 2025 dominance, tying his career high of 10 victories in a season when he struck out five batters and allowed one run over six innings against the Nationals. Out of 20 starts this season, 14 have been quality outings and Pivetta has racked up seven or more strikeouts in nine of those appearances.

Veteran Miles Mikolas took a loss on July 20 in Arizona, tossing a short four innings while surrendering five earned runs to the D-backs. The righty has an overall 3-2 career record with a 3.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts in eight appearances against the Friars.

Saturday: Padres TBD vs. Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (6-7, 4.13 ERA) 4:15 p.m. PT

Liberatore last pitched on July 11 against the Atlanta Braves. The left-hander didn’t fair well, giving up six earned runs on nine hits in three labor-filled innings. He looks to bounce back, as he’s posted a 6.00 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with 13 walks in his last seven starts.  

Story will be updated once San Diego has announced a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game.

Sunday: Padres TBD vs. Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (2-1, 3.49 ERA) 11:15 a.m. PT

2021 first rounder Michael McGreevy toes the slab in the series finale. The UC Santa Barbara product threw seven strong innings in Colorado on Monday, picking up the lone St. Louis victory in the series. He’s making his fifth start of the season and hoping to do enough to stick in the Cardinals rotation.

Story will be updated once San Diego has announced a starting pitcher for Sunday’s game.

Who’s hot?

Padres:

1B Luis Arraez went 4-for-12 in his return to Miami and is slashing .321/.345/.357 in his previous seven contests. SS Xander Bogaerts is getting on-base at a .426 clip in his last 53 at-bats to go along with seven runs scored in that span. LHP Adrian Morejon has a 0.54 ERA and a 5-1 record in his last 15 appearances out of the bullpen. RHP Robert Suarez collected his major league leading 29th save on Monday against the Marlins.

Cardinals:

RF Jordan Walker is has a .296 batting average in his last 27 at-bats. 1B Alec Burleson possesses an .864 OPS in his last seven games. 1B Willson Contreras has notched 18 hits in 15 games with seven runs scored and two home runs. RHP Ryan Helsley has pitched to a 1.29 ERA in his previous seven appearances on the mound. 

Early takeaways

The clubs face each other for the first time this season after having disappointing showings against a pair of sub .500 teams. With the trade deadline slated a week from Thursday, San Diego has been engulfed in recent trade rumors, being linked to outfielders such as Steven Kwan, Jarren Duran, and Luis Robert Jr. Most intriguingly though, Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the Padres are entertaining offers for Dylan Cease to perhaps fill other roster needs. Cease, 29, is in the middle of a down year and is set to hit free agency at season’s end. It’s unclear how motivated A.J. Preller is to actually deal Cease, but his unpredictable nature always keeps everyone on the edge of their seats.

St. Louis has lost five of six games coming out of the All-Star break and look more like sellers than buyers at the moment. Right-handed starter Erick Fedde was designated for assignment by the club on Wednesday, while it also seems they will revisit star third baseman Nolan Arenado’s no-trade clause as the deadline approaches. Two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley could also be on the move this summer, as multiple clubs in need of back-end bullpen help have inquired about the hurler’s availability.Â