|
 "Just go out and put up good at-bats, move guys over and get the big
hit," Jay said.
A shakeup at the top of the lineup resulted in a season-high run
output for St. Louis, which had five multiple-run innings in an 11-5
whipping of the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium.
Hitting leadoff for the first time this year after spending time
near the bottom of the order, Jay slapped a pair of RBI singles.
Normal leadoff man Matt Carpenter moved down to second and produced
as he has all season, rapping a triple and a double in four at-bats.
Left fielder Matt Holliday and first baseman Matt Adams each
collected three hits, with Adams knocking in two runs. Right fielder
Jason Heyward moved down from second to sixth and reached base four
times, drawing three walks and scoring two runs.
Even pitcher Michael Wacha got into the act, driving in runs in his
first two at-bats and extending a two-run fifth inning by drawing a
two-out walk that led to Jay's run-scoring infield hit and
Carpenter's RBI ground-rule double.
The Cardinals (13-6) finished with 15 hits, snapping a two-game
losing streak and scoring in double figures for the first time this
year.
"Great job all the way through," manager Mike Matheny said of the
offense. "Guys put together great at-bats. They stuck with their
game plan and trusted their stroke. We were relentless."
Making his major league debut, Philadelphia right-hander Severino
Gonzalez was on the ropes almost immediately and never found his
footing. Forming the first all-Panamanian battery in big league
history with catcher Carlos Ruiz, Gonzalez was touched for 10 hits
and seven runs over 2 2/3 innings with two walks and no strikeouts.
Carpenter's triple, Holliday's RBI double and Adams' run-scoring
single put Gonzalez down 2-0 after his first four batters. St. Louis
added two more runs in the second and three more in the third,
chasing Gonzalez after Wacha's two-out single to center plated
catcher Yadier Molina for a 7-2 advantage.
"I tried to hit the catcher's mitt every time, but unfortunately, my
command was not there," Gonzalez said through interpreter Juan
Samuel, a Phillies coach. "Next time, I think I will be better.
Unfortunately, tonight was not my night."
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Wacha (4-0) endured his least effective outing of the year, but he
lasted 5 2/3 innings, long enough to win his fourth consecutive
start. The right-hander permitted four runs and six hits and two
walks while fanning four.
"I wasn't where I wanted to be," Wacha said, "but it was nice to see
the guys putting up runs."
Center fielder Odubel Herrera and second baseman Chase Utley knocked
in two runs each for Philadelphia (8-13), while shortstop Freddy
Galvis slapped three singles to up his average to a surprising .368.
However, the Phillies' offense was simply no match for a Cardinals
team that got a run or RBI from all of its starters.
"I thought we had good at-bats and battled against Wacha,"
Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said, "but five of their six
walks scored, so that did us no favors."
NOTES: St. Louis announced that it will call up LHP Tim Cooney from
Triple-A Memphis to make his major league debut in Thursday's series
finale. Cooney will have to be added to the 40-man roster prior to
the start. ... Philadelphia optioned OF Domonic Brown to Triple-A
Lehigh Valley following the completion of a 20-day rehab assignment.
Brown was 5-for-36 in nine games with the IronPigs after going
5-for-17 with Class A Clearwater. He missed the start of the season
due to left Achilles tendinitis. ... The Phillies optioned RHP
Hector Neris to Lehigh Valley to make room for their starter Tuesday
night, RHP Severino Gonzalez.
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