Gyorko powers Padres past Cardinals, 9-5

St. Louis Cardinals' Jon Jay (19) is forced out at second by San Diego Padres' Alexi Amarista, left, during the second inning in a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Shelby Miller was safe at first.
St. Louis Cardinals' Jon Jay (19) is forced out at second by San Diego Padres' Alexi Amarista, left, during the second inning in a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Shelby Miller was safe at first.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Jedd Gyorko's grand slam gave him a spot in Padres history and his team a come-from-behind victory.

Gyorko hit his third career grand slam and drove in five runs, sparking San Diego to a 9-5 rain-delayed victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

It was Gyorko's 31st career homer and set the team mark for most homers by a Padres second baseman, surpassing Mark Loretta.

"It seems like once a game I come up with the bases loaded," Gyorko said. "That's a credit to the guys hitting in front of me. I have to capitalize more like tonight."

Gyorko's eighth homer came on an 0-1 pitch from Kevin Siegrist (1-3) with one out in the seventh. The Padres had loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before Gyorko's drive to left.

"It was a fastball down and in," Gyorko said. "It probably wasn't a bad pitch. I just put a good swing on it."

Rain then halted play later in the inning. The game was delayed 1 hour, 46 minutes and only a handful of the crowd of 44,079 stayed to watch the finish.

The Cardinals, who had won three in a row, dropped to three games back of Milwaukee for the NL Central lead. The Brewers beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers 3-2.

"We get some offensive production early on; it's hard to see that go away," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "We had two really rough innings that made for a bad day."

Alex Torres (2-1) earned the win when he got the last out in the sixth in relief of rookie starter Jesse Hahn. San Diego won for the sixth time in its last eight games.

"Our guys did a nice job and swung at strikes for both of our rallies," San Diego manager Bud Black said.

Matt Adams' two-out RBI triple in the fifth gave St. Louis a 5-4 lead. It was Adams' team-high fifth triple.

The Cardinals struck for four runs in the second. Jhonny Peralta hit a run-scoring double down the left-field line and scored on Oscar Taveras' one-out double that hit just in front of the wall in center.

Taveras returned to the starting lineup after two days on the bench. The rookie outfielder did have a pinch-hit RBI single Friday to snap a 2-for-20 slump.

Matt Carpenter added a two-run double for the Cardinals. Rymer Liriano tried to catch the line drive. It landed in front of him and bounced by.

But San Diego got the runs back against Shelby Miller in the third.

"It was good to see us come back against a good young arm like that," Black said. "I'm very happy for the guys and their at-bats."

Gyorko had an RBI single and rookie Jake Goebbert hit a bases-loaded triple with two down. He had four RBIs in his first 25 games.

"You get a four-run lead, you don't go out and give up four runs," Miller said. "Unacceptable. Obviously, it doesn't sit well with me. I should have done a better job of making pitches."

Seth Smith's third hit in the eighth drove the Padres' final run.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Padres: 3B Yangervis Solarte returned to the lineup after missing two games with a mild left oblique strain. He was in the leadoff spot for the third time this season.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (right shoulder) threw 30 pitches off the bullpen mound before the game. He had not pitched off a mound since his June 17 start against the New York Mets. He will undergo an MRI on Monday to check the shoulder.

TARGET PRACTICE

St. Louis CF Jon Jay was hit twice by a pitch. He also was hit by a pitch twice Friday, giving him four in two games. He leads the major leagues with 14 hit by pitches.

CARDINALS HALL OF FAME

Willie McGee, Jim Edmonds, Mike Shannon and the late Marty Marion were honored Saturday with their induction into St. Louis' newly created Cardinals Hall of Fame.

UP NEXT

Rookie RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (3-3, 2.72 ERA) faces Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright (14-7, 2.34 ERA) in the finale of the four-game series. Despaigne pitched seven scoreless innings in a victory over Colorado in his previous start. Wainwright is 5-2 with a 1.47 ERA against the Padres. He is coming off a 3-0 loss at Miami in his last outing.