ST. LOUIS _ A day after the Cardinals fired Mike Matheny as manager, a group of struggling players found a groove. Marcell Ozuna singled and scored, Tommy Pham drove in two runs, and Dexter Fowler sent a ball over the right-field wall. It all led to a 6-4 Cardinals win _ the first of interim manager Mike Shildt's career.
Miles Mikolas lasted just four innings for the Cardinals, giving up three runs. Mike Shildt, the interim manager, brought John Gant in for the fifth inning, and the righty pitched masterfully. He did not allow a run in four innings.
After the game, Shildt got doused in cold water by his new charges in celebration of the win.
"You get in a laundry basket and they spin you around," he said. "And then they just go at you with a bunch of cold water to the point where I was hyperventilating.
"I'm probably still not believing it, to be honest, to some degree. Talk about a surreal moment. You just got through managing a game for the St. Louis Cardinals. A kid from North Carolina, coached at West Charlotte High School. I'm very blessed and very appreciative of the opportunities I've been given.
"There's been a lot of emotions. Didn't sleep much last night. Heavy hearted last night when I found the news and still am. Mike's a friend and a guy I respect and admire greatly. ... Just part of the organization."
Matt Carpenter led off the bottom of the first with his 19th home run of the season. The shot marked his 20th-career leadoff home run, moving him just one shy of the Cardinals' record, which is held by Hall of Famer Lou Brock.
Fowler, who entered the game hitting .174, cranked a solo blast an inning later to give the Cardinals a 2-0 advantage. ("Probably more of a coincidence than anything," Fowler said of homering in his first non-Matheny at-bat with the Cardinals.) The Reds scored three runs in the fourth to briefly take the lead, but the Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the inning.
Marcell Ozuna led off the Cardinals' half of the frame with a single. Jedd Gyorko walked, and Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani hit Kolten Wong to load the bases. That brought up Tommy Pham, who delivered with a two-run single to lefty. (Pham came in after Harrison Bader slipped going to first on what should have been a double and crawled back to the bag. He left the game with a mild left knee hyperextension but said after the game his knee felt fine.) Pinch hitter Jose Martinez drove in a run with a grounder to short, and Yadier Molina brought home another with a single.
"Miles was laboring in the fourth," Shildt said. "He was a warrior. It was a long inning. Yadi went out three times and helped him getting through it. First couple innings were a little longer, wanted to make sure we could get through that. Our bullpen was a little short today. We had John Gant rested and stretched out but we didn't want to get there too early so we appreicated Miles' effort in sticking with it."
A day after lasting just 1/3 of an inning, Jordan Hicks pitched a one-run ninth inning. The rookie earned his second save of the year. Closer Bud Norris was unavailable Sunday but Shildt said he should be fine when play resumes after the All-Star break. "Bud's a gamer," Shildt said. "He'll be there for us."
