The San Diego Padres' bullpen nearly unraveled a dominant Dylan Cease performance, but clutch hitting from their young core carried them to a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Cease dazzled through five scoreless innings, striking out nine while allowing just one hit—a masterful display that kept the Cardinals' lineup off balance. But the game turned in the seventh when Adrian Morejon failed to record an out, surrendering three runs on four hits before Robert Suárez slammed the door shut. The Padres' offense answered immediately, with Jackson Merrill delivering a go-ahead, three-run single in the sixth and Ramon Laureano crushing a solo homer in the seventh to seal the win.

While St. Louis' Ivan Herrera (2-for-3) and Alec Burleson tried to spark a rally, the Cardinals' bullpen faltered late, with Gordon Graceffo and Roddery Muñoz combining to allow five runs over three innings. The victory snaps a three-game skid for San Diego, who lean on their resurgent offense—led by Merrill's .266 average and Laureano's timely power—to regain momentum in the playoff chase. For St. Louis, the loss underscores lingering bullpen woes that have plagued their road struggles all season.