Carpenter, Cards outslug Rox to take series

ST. LOUIS — After squandering a four-run lead, the Cardinals utilized a six-run fourth and a six-RBI night from Matt Carpenter to put away the Rockies and seal a series win with a 13-7 victory on Thursday night at Busch Stadium.

The game had a Coors Field feel early, as the two clubs combined for 16 runs and 18 hits through the first four innings. Neither Rockies starter Jon Gray nor Cardinals starter Michael Wacha made it any further. The Rockies chased Wacha by batting around and scoring four times in the frame, which featured RBI hits by Daniel Descalso and Gray. The Cardinals answered by sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning.

Carpenter drove in six from the leadoff spot on a 3-for-5 night in which he doubled twice before blasting his team-leading ninth home run. Cleanup hitter du jour Stephen Piscotty had his second straight three-hit night and tallied a pair of RBI doubles. Matt Adams drove home four behind him, giving the first baseman his first four-RBI game since July 2014.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDRe-ordering: Cardinals manager Mike Matheny created his 36th different lineup of the season on Thursday, and he might have found one that will stick. With the club lacking sufficient production from the cleanup spot, Matheny dropped Piscotty into that slot and batted rookie Aledmys Diaz second for the first time. The ordering paid immediate dividends, as Piscotty had a pair of RBI hits, and Diaz came through with an RBI single. Both scored twice.

There goes the momentum: Gray gave up four runs in the first two innings and needed a throw from catcher Tony Wolters, who erased …

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