The Padres and Cardinals played a tight game on Friday evening, dominated by strong pitching, that ended in a 2-1 victory going to the visitors from San Diego. The very next day, on Saturday afternoon, the Padres and Cards once again played a tight game dominated by strong pitching that ended in a 2-1 victory -- this time going to the hometown Cardinals.
The difference-maker on Saturday turned out to be a late unearned run charged to reliever Brandon Maurer, who came in to try to preserve a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning. Maurer's strong efforts were spoiled, however, after infielder Alexi Amarista made a fielding error on a ground ball that simply kicked off of his glove and allowed the eventual go-ahead run to reach base.