Gyorko’s near-cycle, 3-run 8th key Cards’ win

SAN DIEGO — Matt Carpenter laced an RBI triple to break a tie and spark a three-run eighth inning and lift the Cardinals to an 8-5 win over the Padres on Sunday at Petco Park.

Carpenter, who had struck out twice, drove in Matt Adams after his one-out, pinch-hit single, and Randal Grichuk added a two-run double to cap the eighth. St. Louis’ late-inning surge for the second straight game gave the Cardinals consecutive wins and a series victory over San Diego.

The Cardinals tied the game at 5 in the sixth on back-to-back home runs by Jedd Gyorko and Aledmys Diaz off reliever Kevin Quackenbush. It was Gyorko’s third hit of the afternoon and the second homer in two days for the former Padre. Gyorko fell a double short of the cycle.

“They kept coming back and forcing our hand,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “Then we had the big inning, with the back-to-back homers with Jedd and Diaz, and then our guys just kept coming.”

Four Cardinals relievers picked up after Mike Leake’s five-inning stint and didn’t allow a run over the final four innings. Kevin Siegrist (3-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning to record the win, and Trevor Rosenthal escaped a jam in the ninth to notch his fifth save.

“It was nice to see the bullpen coming through again,” Matheny said.

Christian Bethancourt hit his first home run of the season in the fourth inning for the Padres.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDTwo for one: The Cardinals …

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