Carp crushes 3 HRs as Cards rout rival Cubs

The constant in Mike Shildt’s lineup became the catalyst on Friday afternoon as Matt Carpenter delivered one of the best single-game performances in franchise history to help the Cardinals roll over the Cubs, 18-5, at Wrigley Field. While Shildt shuffled several players around to form a new-look lineup upon taking over as interim manager, the top spot in the order never ceased to belong to Carpenter. Shildt wanted the offense to follow his lead. That was done en masse Friday once Carpenter jolted the unit to life with his franchise-record 21st career leadoff home run. The Cardinals went on to bat around in two innings while tallying a season high in runs to even a key series against their National League Central rivals.