St. Louis Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Masyn Winn leads Cardinals to win vs. Padres

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 12:37 AM ET

A day after winning a slugfest, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3-0 thanks to a collective effort on the mound and one big hit.

With only a 1-0 lead and the game still very much up in the air, Masyn Winn sent two runners home off one swing of the bat in the fourth.

Winn's ball didn't leave the park, but it did ignite the Busch Stadium crowd nonetheless. He lined the ball right down the middle between left and center field, scoring Wilson Contreras and Nolan Arenado.

The third-year shortstop has 21 doubles and 36 RBI through 93 games played so far in 2025.

Leading 3-0 after Winn's double, that would be all St. Louis would need. In fact, the Cardinals would secure the win despite being out-hit 11-5 by a normally potent San Diego lineup.

Franando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each recorded two hits apiece, but failed to send anybody home.

It's goin' down for real pic.twitter.com/NG4dpa0LHZ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 26, 2025

Miles Mikolas gave up seven of San Diego's 11 hits, yet pitched a shutout through five innings. He even managed the shutout with only one lone strikeout.

The win allowed Mikolas, who has been up and down all season, to improve his personal record to 6-7 as he's now 2-2 in the month.

Scoreless outing for Mikolas! pic.twitter.com/w5oBIhnlIM
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 26, 2025

Upon his exit, Mikolas was then supported by an inning each from Steven Matz, Phil Maton, JoJo Romero and closer Ryan Helsley, who earned his 21st save. The Cardinals' bullpen gave up only four more hits combined with three strikeouts, including two from Helsley, as he easily shut the door on any possibility of San Diego mounting a comeback.

St. Louis (54-51) now has two more opportunities to take the series, needing just one more win to claim the four-game set and two more for the sweep.

A series win over a Padres team with a similar record could also go a long way in the Cardinals' fight to stay in the hunt even while looking up at the Reds, Cubs and Brewers in the loaded National League Central.

First pitch for game three of the series on Saturday is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET, with Sunday's finale set as more of a midday affair at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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