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STL@CIN: Wainwright allows two over 5 2/3 for win

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright and Padres righty Edinson Volquez have met once before this season.

Back on May 22, the pair matched up against each other in St. Louis, with Wainwright decisively winning the battle.

The 31-year-old tossed a shutout, giving up just four hits and striking out nine while Volquez took a back seat with his six-inning, three-earned-run performance.

The two pitchers will meet again Tuesday when the Cardinals take on the Padres in the second game of the midweek series.

While Wainwright dominated his last time out against the Padres, the righty is coming off a subpar outing in his last start. Lasting just five innings, he surrendered five runs on eight hits and took the loss against the Mets, 6-2.

For Wainwright, the to-do list moving forward is simple: fix his delivery to make sure his velocity and fastball command get back on track.

"I was having just a little trouble repeating it," Wainwright said of his arm slot. "I'm very, very confident that if I keep putting the proper work into fixing it that I'll be ready for the next start. It's not something that hinders you for a long period of time. You just have to get it back quick."

Volquez last pitched all the way back on Sept. 1 when he took a loss against the Rockies, allowing five runs over 4 2/3 innings.

He developed a blister on his throwing hand, which forced a delay in his return to the mound.

"There's nothing you can do on those kinds of days," Volquez said. "You can't complain. That's just part of the game."

Cardinals: Carpenter throws to hitters
Right-hander Chris Carpenter threw 70 pitches in a simulated game before Monday's game at Petco Park. It was another step in the right direction for the former Cy Young winner, who underwent thoracic outlet surgery in July.

"Everything's good," Carpenter said. "My stuff today was sharp, my cutter was sharp, I threw my breaking ball for strikes, my fastball on both sides of the plate, which was good."

Carpenter and the Cardinals have tried to temper any hype surrounding a potential late-season return, though the 37-year-old is scheduled for one more simulated game, a 90-pitch outing set for Saturday, which would likely be his last before a potential start.

According to both Carpenter and his manager, Mike Matheny, the stuff he showed in the simulated game was good enough to take into a real start. But Matheny has not gone so far as to project a return date yet.

Padres: Leitner pulling double duty
Longtime Padres broadcaster Ted Leitner was asked Monday how he plans to emcee Saturday's event at Petco Park to honor broadcaster Jerry Coleman and handle his radio duties as the play-by-play man for San Diego State Aztecs football that day.

"It's a very good question," he said. "You mean, driving above the speed limit?"

Leitner, who is in his 33rd season of calling Padres games on radio, will emcee "Jerry Coleman Day," which starts at 5 p.m. PT ahead of the game at 5:35.

He'll then get in his car to cover the eight or so miles to Qualcomm Stadium as fast as possible, so he can get to the Aztecs game against North Dakota, which has a 5 p.m. kickoff.

The Padres game against the Rockies was originally scheduled for earlier in the afternoon before it was moved to 5:35.

Worth noting
• The Padres are 36-34 at home this season.

• The Cardinals lead the all-time series with the Padres, 262-179.

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