Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler homered as the Cardinals beat the Reds 6-4 at Busch Stadium. It made a winner of interim manager Mike Shildt. Mike Matheny was fired after Saturday’s loss, along with hitting coaches John Mabry and Bill Mueller.
>>Cards’ DeWitt Says Matheny Firing Offers Fresh Start
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt says manager Mike Matheny was fired in order to give the team a fresh new start after not living up to expectations in the first half. Mark Budaska is being brought up from Triple-A Memphis to assume the club’s hitting coach duties.
>>Cardinals Third In NL Central At Break
The Cardinals enter the All-Star break in third place in the National League Central. St. Louis is 48-and-46, seven-and-a-half games behind the first-place Cubs. The Brewers are two-and-a-half games back. The Cardinals play the Cubs in Chicago starting Thursday.
>>Cubs Knock Off Padres
Anthony Rizzo had an RBI and scored two runs as the Cubs knocked off the Padres 7-4 in San Diego. Jon Lester tossed five-and-a-third innings of three-run ball to get the win and Brandon Morrow locked down his 22nd save. Jason Heyward hit a two-run single in the second and Kris Bryant drove in a run in the sixth to help Chicago take a 7-1 lead. The Cubs swept the three-game series from the Padres.
>>Brewers Lose To Pirates In 10 Innings
The Brewers’ bullpen faltered late as they lost to the Pirates 7-6 in 10 innings in Pittsburgh. Dan Jennings was saddled with the loss. Brett Phillips gave the Crew a brief lead with an RBI-single in the top of the 10th. Phillips also had a three-run triple in the eighth for Milwaukee, which lost all five games in Pittsburgh.
>>MLB ASG Tomorrow
The Major League All-Star Game is tomorrow night in D.C., while the Home Run Derby takes place tonight at Nats Park. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is on the National League roster as a reserve for tomorrow’s All-Star Game. Pitcher Miles Mikolas is inactive.