ST. LOUIS -- A uncomfortably familiar scenario played out in the late innings of the Cardinals' game against the Padres on Thursday night. Unfortunately, unlike Monday in Cincinnati, there was no big finish, and St. Louis lost to San Diego in the opener of an eight-game homestand, 8-3.

Just as on Monday against the Reds, the Cards took an early lead, fell behind in the middle innings, pulled back into it and then watched as their bullpen and defensive foibles let the contest get out of reach. Unlike Monday, once the opponent got the big lead, the game really was out of reach.

The Cardinals turned out to be just what Brian Giles needed to break out of a slump. The slugging outfielder erupted for a four-hit, five-RBI night, including the go-ahead single and a key three-run homer, against Matt Morris and a string of relievers.

"We had a bunch of good innings, but we had two or three stinkers, and they didn't," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. "They just played better than we did."

Morris held his own, the only major blemish on his ledger being Giles' home run. He allowed three runs, two earned, over seven innings. Morris topped six innings and 100 pitches for the first time in four starts as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. The right-hander struck out five and walked two, receiving a no-decision.

He was left wishing he had one pitch back -- a sinking fastball to Giles that got far too much of the plate. With it, a 1-0 Cardinals lead turned into a 3-1 Padres advantage, and the Redbirds were never ahead again. Giles came into the game on an 0-for-22 skid, but he looked rejuvenated Thursday.

"One bad pitch really cost me the game," Morris said. "It was a mental and an execution mistake. I thought I might be able to freeze him with a two-seamer in, kind of around the plate, and the ball ran more than I'd like it to. He kills that stuff. Whatever he was coming into here didn't matter. He's a good professional hitter, and I made a mistake in a bad spot."

The homer followed an error on Mark Grudzielanek on a potential double-play ball, one of two miscues for St. Louis on the evening. But the Redbirds also turned in some exceptional defense, including a second-inning triple play and two pickoffs by Yadier Molina.

Morris recovered from the fourth-inning blow and looked strong through the seventh. His teammates tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh, as Grudzielanek hit his second home run of 2005 and Roger Cedeno scored on an error. But Ray King could not protect the tie in the top of the next inning.

King allowed a one-out single to Mark Loretta, but mistook Cards first baseman Albert Pujols for a San Diego baserunner and fired a misguided throw to second base. The ball got away and Loretta advanced to second, then third on a groundout. A walk and a Giles single later and the Padres had the advantage.

"I thought Albert was a guy going to second," said King. "At the last second, I realized it was him, and it was too late."

The worst was still to come for King, however. He thought he had struck out Ramon Hernandez on an 0-2 pitch, but home plate umpire Mark Carlson called the pitch a ball. Hernandez went on to single in another run, and King was ejected for his ensuing outburst. The left-hander insisted that whatever he yelled, it wasn't intended for Carlson.

"Actually I didn't say the magic word to him," said King. "I'm very frustrated at that situation. You can say what you've got to say about it. I thought that pitch was right there. That's a crucial pitch right there, and I think it was right there. I watched the tape 16 times, and 16 times it was a strike to me.

"It doesn't bother me if you miss a strike call first pitch, second pitch. But it's a crucial situation right there. I've already given up one run. And then after I gave up the hit, I'm frustrated with myself. I said the magic word to myself. I'm upset, frustrated. Next thing you know, you're out of the game."

St. Louis was still in the game going into the ninth, but bullpen woes resurfaced. Bill Pulsipher, making his return from the disabled list, and Kevin Jarvis combined to give up three runs in the ninth, making the chances of a comeback extremely slim.

"It's frustrating, but you've got to keep your head up and go on forward," Pulsipher said. "It's good to be back, it's good that I'm healthy. I've just got to get some outings under my belt and progress from there."

The Cardinals still hold the National League's best record at 18-9, and they lead the Brewers by four games in the NL Central division. They are 16-4 within the division, but 2-5 against teams from the East and West.