Randy Vásquez and Mike Shildt’s Four Horsemen rode to the rescue. On a surprisingly (somewhat) pleasant July evening at Busch Stadium, the San Diego Padres got a much-needed victory the same way they got their only other victory this week.

The Royals and Guardians split a doubleheader while the Cardinals couldn’t find much offense in a loss to the Padres on Saturday in MLB.

The Padres have dropped three consecutive games, losing two straight and the series to the Marlins, then the opener to the Cardinals. St. Louis won 9-7 as Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan hit three-run homers in a six-run second inning to pull ahead.

The Padres will try to avoid their first four-game losing streak since mid-May when they play the Cardinals Friday night. They are doing so against a pitcher who has mostly fared well against them in a city that has been historically inhospitable for them.

The Cardinals made franchise history they haven't achieved in 82 years following their shutout win over the Padres on Friday.

Despite being three games over .500 and in the mix for a wild card spot in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking to take advantage of the number of contending teams seeking bullpen help prior to the trade deadline.

The Padres’ only saving grace in their current position is they began the second half in a better spot than they did last year, when they were just one game over .500. These Padres were 52-44 before splitting their first six games after the break, at the Nationals and Marlins, and then dropping the first two games in St. Louis.

San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has made it clear he wants to acquire more offense before the trade deadline.