Cardinals unload on Padres' bullpen

SAN DIEGO -- Jedd Gyorko didn't mind being booed when he returned to San Diego with the St. Louis Cardinals.

After all, what better revenge than going 6 for 11 with two homers, a triple, four RBIs and three runs scored in the three-game series? All that and he didn't even start the opener Friday night.

Gyorko homered, tripled and singled, and rookie Aledmys Diaz had a homer among his three hits as the Cardinals rallied to beat the Padres 8-5 on Sunday to take two of three.

"I heard it, but it is what it is,"' Gyorko said about the booing. "People are going to do whatever they want, so if that's what makes them happy, they can keep booing."

Gyorko was traded to the Cardinals in December for Jon Jay. A second-round pick of the Padres in 2010, he spent his first three big league seasons with San Diego, receiving a $35 million contract extension early in his second big league season.

"I think especially when he got the reception that he got, it's always nice to stick it to the team you were with before," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It's pretty common in this game. You give a guy a chance to go back and play against a team that he was with and seems like it's usually a pretty good opportunity for them to do something special, and Jedd had a real nice couple days for us."

Added Gyorko: "I hope when I go back to St. Louis they boo me there, too, because it worked out pretty well."

Gyorko had two chances to complete the cycle but flied out to left and grounded out to third in his final at-bats. Randal Grichuk had three hits and three RBIs for St. Louis.

"I think that was my second career triple, so I haven't been very close ever, so I think I wasted my best chance to get one," Gyorko said.

"He hit the ball well against us," San Diego manager Andy Green said. "We weren't able to execute against him, probably more than anybody else. We ended up having to come to him a number of times by missing early in the count. He found himself in hitter's counts and he did damage against us. Tip your cap."

San Diego's bullpen imploded for the second straight game. Kevin Quackenbush allowed consecutive homers to Gyorko and Diaz in the sixth to tie it, and Brandon Maurer (0-1) gave up three runs in the eighth, including Matt Carpenter's go-ahead, RBI triple with one out and Grichuk's two-run double with two outs.

In the last two games, San Diego's bullpen allowed 15 runs, all earned, on 18 hits in eight innings, with four homers, four walks and five strikeouts. The Cardinals won 11-2 Saturday night, scoring 10 runs in the final three innings.

Kevin Siegrest (3-0) pitched the seventh for the win. Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances.

The Padres gave Colin Rea a 5-3 lead after five, but Quackenbush allowed back-to-back homers to the only batters he faced, Gyorko and Diaz, which tied it in the sixth.

Gyorko homered to right, his third, on a 2-0 pitch. Diaz homered to left, his third, on an 0-1 pitch.

Diaz had his first five-hit game Saturday night while Gyorko had a three-run homer.

Cardinals starter Mike Leake, who went to high school in northern San Diego County, helped his own cause and gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead when he singled in Gyorko with one out in the fourth. Gyorko was aboard on a leadoff triple to right.

San Diego tied it in the bottom of the inning on Christian Bethancourt's solo homer into the bullpen in left center with two outs. It was his first.

Bethancourt, who had a rough first inning by allowing a passed ball and a stolen base, also hit a sacrifice fly in the second.

Leake allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two.

"Great offense today," Leake said. "We came in and did what we needed to do this series, and took two out of three, so it's a good series."

The Cardinals got consecutive RBI singles by Grichuk and Yadier Molina with two outs in the first.

Rea allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and two walks.

Next up

Cardinals: St. Louis continues its seven-game trip through the NL West when it opens a four-game series tonight at Arizona. Scheduled left-handed starter Jaime Garcia (1-1, 2.70) has made five career starts against Arizona and is 5-0 with a 2.51 ERA. The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Zack Greinke (1-2., 5.25 ERA), who signed a six-year, $206.5 million free agent deal with the team during the offseason.