Cardinals Fall in Series Opener to Padres

The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the San Diego Padres 7-4 in the series opening game at Busch Stadium on Monday.

Here is what you need to know from Monday's contest.

Gibson Has Seen Better Days

It wasn't the best outing for Cardinals veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson as he couldn't make it through five innings on Monday. In fact, it was his worst start of the season. The Padres attacked early with a first inning home run from Manny Machado to give San Diego the early lead. Gibson could never find a rhythm and get going.

He finished the day allowing seven runs on five hits. He also walked four batters and only struck out two. It's the second time this season (April 7th vs. Miami) that Gibson allowed seven runs in an outing.

Burleson Continues to Do Big Things at the Plate

I can't help but imagine what the Cardinals season would look like if Alec Burleson was given opportunities for more at bats at the beginning of the season. Ever since he has become an everyday player, the Cardinals offense has at least had some life in almost all games this season.

Burleson continued with his great work with the bat as he went 3 for 5 and picked up two RBIs in the process. Although he has not had the same type of numbers since the All Star break, it's clear that he is one of the future stars on this roster. Whether that is a corner outfield spot, first base, or even designated hitter, Burleson needs to be in the lineup.

Bullpen was Great, But Does it Matter?

After the short stint from Gibson the Cardinals bullpen was 'lights out.' Manager Oli Marmol employed four relievers to follow the St. Louis starter on Monday and they combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless work with only three hits against.

Unfortunately, the seven runs were too much for the Cardinals to come back from, and with the team not having a day off until September 5th, it may have done more damage than good. With nine more games in a row before an open date, the importance of having longer starts has never been as important as it is during this stretch if the Cardinals want any shot at playing meaningful baseball in September.

What's Next

The Cardinals will be right back in action on Tuesday with game two of the four game series against the San Diego Padres. The first pitch at Busch Stadium is scheduled for 7:45 PM EST.