For young players, learning from mistakes is the name of the game. It’s not all that often that a pitcher is able to immediately correct mistakes made in his last start by facing the very same team in his next start.
Michael McGreevy has that opportunity Saturday when the Cardinals continue a road series at San Diego with a 9:10 p.m. (St. Louis time) first pitch vs. the Padres.
The Cardinals dropped Friday’s opener 4-1, felled by errors and a lack of offense.
Six days after struggling vs. the Padres, the right-hander McGreevy (2-2, 4.91 ERA) gets another shot at the team he grew up watching.
McGreevy, a San Clemente, California, native, gave up more runs than he had in any career game to that point in what was his shortest career start.
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He struggled with the slider command in going 4 2/3 innings and giving up seven earned runs on Sunday vs. the Padres at Busch Stadium, a 9-2 San Diego win.
“I got them next week, and it’s going to be better,” McGreevy said after that last start.
Those slider troubles allowed the Padres to sit on his fastballs, which they hit .500 against.
In five starts this season, McGreevy has alternated effectiveness, allowing just one run in two of them and four or more in the other three.
The Padres will send out right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.65 ERA), who gave up one earned run in 4 2/3 innings last Saturday in St. Louis in a 3-1 Padres win. he hasn’t completed the fifth inning in any of his last three starts.
The Cardinals are 55-56, below .500 for the first time since early May. They’re 8-18 in their last 26 games and trail the Padres for the final wild-card spot by 6 1/2 games.
Lars Nootbaar activated, Jose Fermin sent down
Before the game, the Cardinals activated outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the 10-day injured list. Nootbaar was dealing with a left costochondral sprain. He’ll bat fifth and play right field Saturday.
Infielder Jose Fermin was sent back down to Memphis in a corresponding move.
How to watch Cardinals at Padres
When:Â 9:10 p.m. Saturday
Where:Â Petco Park in San Diego
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (live stream link); KMOX (1120 AM and 104.1 FM), other stations in the Cardinals Radio Network as well as MLB.tv.
Your options to watch: Input your ZIP code and see your choices for watching Cardinals games.
Lineups
P:Â Michael McGreevy, RHP
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Injury report
John King, LHP (left oblique strain): King was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday after he left Tuesday’s game in the middle of an at-bat with left side tightness. Updated July 29
Nolan Arenado, 3B (right shoulder strain): Arenado went on the 10-day injured list Friday afternoon with a shoulder injury he’s spent the past month trying to play through. There is no timetable for his return. Updated Aug. 1
Zack Thompson, LHP (shoulder, lat strain): Lefty starter could begin a throwing program next week, Marmol said. Thompson has been sidelined since the start of March and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in early April. There is no timetable for his return to the mound. Updated July 24
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