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 After Thursday night, the St. Louis Cardinals manager might want
to reconsider.
Matheny revamped the lineup for the game against the Colorado
Rockies, moving rookie Aledmys Diaz, who came into the game as the
second-leading hitter in the National League, into the second spot
for the first time.
Matheny also moved the normal second-place hitter, Stephen Piscotty,
down two spots to bat cleanup, which has been a problematic position
for the Cardinals all season.
The moves paid immediate dividends with a three-run first inning
before the Cardinals scored six times in the fourth, their biggest
inning of the season, en route to a 13-7 win over the Rockies.
Matt Carpenter had the biggest night, driving in a career-high six
runs with two doubles and a three-run homer. He became the first
Cardinal to do all of that in a game since Red Schoendienst in 1953.
 "It's fun to come in every day to see what this offense is capable
of," said Carpenter, who leads the Cardinals with nine homers and 32
RBIs out of the leadoff spot. "It's always fun to swing the bat well
and drive in runs, but the truth is, if I have six RBIs and we don't
win, it's not fun. It's all about winning games and helping the
team."
Carpenter also became the first Cardinals leadoff hitter to amass
six RBIs in a game since Shawon Dunston in 2000 and only the second
to do it since 1945.
It was the ninth time in the first 41 games the Cardinals scored 10
or more runs, and they became the first team to do that in the
National League since the Rockies in 2001.
Matt Adams, hitting fifth, drove in four runs with a pair of two-run
singles in the two big innings. Piscotty had three hits for the
second night in a row and drove in two runs. Diaz reached base
twice, getting hit by a pitch and adding an RBI single, and he
scored twice.
"Great at-bats all the way through," said Matheny, who watched his
team cough up a 4-0 lead before storming back. "The guys are in a
good place."
Carpenter agreed.
"We've got some guys who can do some things," he said. "We've shown
the ability to pile on when we do have a good offensive day. I like
the look of (the lineup), and I also like the fact that this lineup
is flexible. There's some pieces and some guys who can hit in
different spots. We've got some guys who can move around."
It wasn't a fun night for the Rockies, who saw starter Jon Gray last
just 3 1/3 innings while allowing nine runs.
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"No command of any pitch," Gray said. "I felt strong physically, I
just got outside of my delivery and didn't put the ball where it was
supposed to be."
The Rockies got three RBIs from Trevor Story, who hit his 12th homer
of the year, and two from former Cardinals infielder Daniel Descalso,
making his first start of the season after coming off the disabled
list.
"We battled back and got back into it and then took the lead, but
then it got away," Descalso said.
About the only negative for the Cardinals was the performance of
starting pitcher Michael Wacha, who lasted just four innings and
gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk. It marked the first time
in his career he has allowed six runs in back-to-back games,
although in his last start errors led to four of the runs being
unearned.
"He needs to be in the bottom of the zone," Matheny said. "I think
he can go up top, but if he tries to live up there, I don't think
the effectiveness of his other pitches are going to be as crisp as
he wants. His best games are when he establishes the bottom (of the
strike zone). Not many guys can live at the top of the strike zone."
Cardinals center fielder Randal Grichuk had to leave the game after
the third inning because of tightness in his lower back, but Matheny
said the move was basically precautionary.
NOTES: SS Jose Reyes took a physical and began working out at the
Rockies' spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday.
Reyes is not eligible to play until his suspension by Major League
Baseball for violating the domestic abuse policy is completed on May
31. ... Cardinals SS Jhonny Peralta, who underwent surgery for a
torn ligament in his left thumb in spring training, will begin a
rehab assignment at Class A Peoria on Friday. Manager Mike Matheny
said Peralta will see time at both shortstop and third base. ... The
sentencing hearing for former Cardinals scouting director Chris
Correa, who pleaded guilty to illegally accessing information from
the Houston Astros' computer database, was delayed Thursday from
June 11 to July 5 in U.S. District Court in Houston.
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