Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras was hit on the arm by a 93.7 mph fastball from Padres starter Nick Pivetta. Contreras immediately began shouting at Pivetta,

Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras hit three-run homers in the second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 9-7 on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.

There was some extracurricular activity during Friday night’s St. Louis Cardinals-San Diego Padres game. The Cardinals and the Padres faced each other for a weekend series opener at Busch Stadium in St.

On Friday, the benches cleared in the matchup between the Cardinals and Padres after Nick Pivetta plunked Willson Contreras.

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.

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.

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

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.