Oscar Taveras hit a two-run homer for the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 Thursday to avoid a three-game series sweep. The win came hours after the Cardinals traded Joe Kelly and Allen Craig to Boston for right-hander John Lackey.
Taveras connected with two out in the second, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead, that quickly disappeared when start Shelby Miller was touched for two solo homers in the bottom half of the inning. However, San Diego would only managed one more hit the rest of the game. Miller (8-8) held San Diego to two runs and three hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked none in his first win since June 7.
St. Louis jumped in front again on Matt Holliday’s two-run single in the third, and Peter Bourjos added an RBI single in the sixth. Matt Carpenter walked with bases loaded to round out the scoring.
