Cardinals 12, Phillies 4
PHILADELPHIA -- Catcher Yadier Molina and second baseman Kolton Wong hit two-run homers as the St. Louis Cardinals battered the Philadelphia Phillies 12-4 Friday night, in a meeting of the major leagues' best and worst teams.
Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who had three RBIs in all, added a two-run double for the Cardinals (44-23), as did first baseman Mark Reynolds. Left fielder Randal Grichuk went 3-for-5 and hit a solo homer for St. Louis, which achieved season highs in runs and hits (16).
The Cardinals also benefited from 10 walks and a Philadelphia error.
First baseman Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer for the Phillies (23-46), who lost for the 10th time in 11 games and the 20th time in 24.
Friday's loss came three days after Philadelphia absorbed a 19-3 beating from the Baltimore Orioles.
Phillies starter Phillippe Aumont (0-1), making his first career start in place of an injured Cole Hamels (hamstring), went four innings and allowed six runs and five hits while striking out three and walking 7.
Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons (2-0) worked five innings and yielded three runs and seven hits while striking out five and walking one.
Molina and Wong hit their two-run homers off Aumont in the four-run second. It was the second of the season for Molina, the eighth for Wong.
Peralta made it 6-0 with his two-run double in the fourth, and St. Louis broke it open by scoring five times off reliever Justin DeFratus in the fifth.
Lyons drove in his first major league run with his second single of the night, and third baseman Matt Carpenter added an RBI single of his own.
Peralta had a sacrifice fly, and Reynolds capped the inning with his two-run double, giving the Cards an 11-0 lead.
Howard countered with his homer in the bottom of the fifth. It was his 13th of the season, and it followed a single by center fielder Ben Revere and a double by shortstop Cesar Hernandez earlier in the inning.
Grichuk homered in the sixth. It was his fourth of the season.
An RBI groundout by Philadelphia shortstop Cesar Hernandez in the eighth shaved the gap to 12-4.
NOTES: The Phillies optioned RHP Hector Neris to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for RHP Phillippe Aumont on the roster. ... Philadelphia also announced that LHP Adam Morgan will be brought up from Lehigh Valley to make his first major league start on Sunday against St. Louis in place of injured Jerome Williams. A corresponding roster move will be made in the meantime. ... The Cardinals optioned RHP Mitch Harris and C Ed Easley to Triple-A Memphis and recalled INF Greg Garcia and 1B Xavier Scruggs. ... Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said before the game that LHP Cole Hamels was scheduled to throw on the side on Friday and in the bullpen on Sunday. If all goes as planned, he will make a regularly scheduled start on Wednesday against the New York Yankees.