Peavy is simply too tough for Cardinals

The San Diego Padres could have used this kind of performance against the St. Louis Cardinals the last two Octobers.

Ace Jake Peavy became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least 10 in four consecutive starts, holding the Cardinals to three hits in seven innings and leading the Padres to a 7-0 victory on Friday night.

San Diego’s listless offense came alive on a cool evening at Petco Park. Russell Branyan hit a pair of two-run homers and Khalil Greene homered and drove in two runs.

It was the first time the teams met since the Cardinals eliminated the Padres from last year’s division series in four games. In 2005, the Cardinals swept the Padres out of the playoffs.

Peavy is 0-2 against the Cardinals in the postseason, including last year’s series opener when he yielded a two-run homer to Albert Pujols that helped the Cardinals to a 5-1 victory.

The right-hander was sharp Friday night, striking out 10 and walking only two. He has struck out 46 in 28 innings over four starts, a span in which he’s 2-1 with a 0.96 earned-run average.

Peavy (5-1) entered the game tied with Clay Kirby (36, Sept. 18-29, 1971) and Kevin Brown (31, July 26-Aug. 5, 1998) as the only Padres with three consecutive games with double-digit strikeouts.