The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will meet for the second time during the 2012 MLB season when they play at Wrigley Field from April 23 through April 25. The Cubs and Cardinals had previously met in St. Louis for a three-game series from April 13 through April 15. The Cardinals won two of those games.

Ryan Dempster’s injury should have little-to-no effect on this series as he wouldn’t have been scheduled to pitch. The only problem that I could see is if the bullpen is fatigued from a short outing from Randy Wells when he pitches against the Cincinnati Reds on April 22. The Cubs will be relying on Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija and Chris Volstad to rebound from a 4-11 start. The San Diego Padres (4-12) and Kansas City Royals (3-11) are the only teams with worse records.

All times are central time zone. The probable pitchers are updated as of April 22 on Cubs.mlb.com. The Cubs are represented by the pitchers in italics.

April 23, 7:05 p.m.: Matt Garza (1-1, 3.66 ERA) vs. Jaime Garcia (2-0, 3.06 ERA)

Matt Garza will make his first start of the season against the Cardinals. After two solid outings, Garza struggled against the Miami Marlins as he surrendered six earned runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings.

Garza has a career record of 2-1 with a 5.32 ERA against the Cardinals. Jon Jay has also been a thorn in his side as he’s 4-for-6 with a double and 1.500 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). David Freese is the only current Cardinals hitter who has a home run against him.

April 24, 7:05 p.m. Jeff Samardzija (2-1, 5.71 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (0-3, 9.88 ERA)

Jeff Samardzija has endured some growing pains in his transition from middle relief to the starting rotation. After coming within one out of a complete game in his first start against the Washington Nationals, Samardzija has surrendered 10 earned runs in his last 4.2 innings pitched. Samardzija earned the win in an April 13 meeting against the Cardinals despite surrendering five earned runs in the fifth inning.

Samardzija hasn’t enjoyed much success against the Cardinals. Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina and Jay are all hitting .375 or better in at least eight at-bats against Samardzija. Carlos Beltran is 3-for-3 with a walk. Matt Carpenter is 2-for-3 with a triple. Overall, Samardzija has surrendered a .369 average with a .461 on-base percentage (OBP) against current Cardinals hitters.

April 25, 1:20 p.m.: Chris Volstad (0-2, 6.19 ERA) vs. Lance Lynn (3-0, 1.42 ERA)

Chris Volstad hasn’t won a game since July 10, 2011. Volstad did record a quality start against the Cardinals when these teams met on April 14. He surrendered three earned runs through six innings.

Volstad doesn’t have the prettiest career numbers against the Cardinals. Lance Berkman (DL), Rafael Furcal, Holliday, Beltran and Molina are all hitting .300-or-better against him in at least nine at-bats. Despite the strong averages, current Cardinals hitters have a .327 OBP against Volstad.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. He immediately gained an admiration for Cubs fans after watching numerous games on WGN during the mid-90s. His favorite Cubs moment was Kerry Wood’s(notes) 1-hitter, 20K extravaganza that was only denied of a no-hitter by Kevin Orie’s defensive blunder. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months. He can be found on Twitter HERE.

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PITTSBURGH (AP) – Lance Lynn allowed only an inside-the-park homer to Alex Presley in seven innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Presley led off the bottom of the first with a drive off the top of the center field fence, the ball just eluding a leaping center fielder Skip Schumaker. It was just the Pirates’ second inside-the-parker at PNC Park since it opened in 2001.

Filling in nicely for injured ace Chris Carpenter, Lynn (3-0) gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out four. He has won each of his starts this season and compiled a 1.42 ERA while Carpenter has been on the disabled list with a nerve problem in his pitching shoulder. Lynn pitched primarily in relief last season as a rookie when St. Louis won the World Series.

Lynn also scored the go-ahead run on Carlos Beltran’s two-out single in the fifth inning off Charlie Morton (0-1).

Daniel Descalso homered for the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Morton allowed two runs – one earned – and four hits in five innings with three walks and six strikeouts.

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, who notched his third save in three tries, each pitched a hitless inning to complete the four-hitter for St. Louis.

After St. Louis tied it in the second inning on Yadier Molina’s RBI double, Lynn led off the fifth with a single. He took second on Rafael Furcal’s groundout, advanced to third on Matt Holliday’s fielder’s choice and scored on Beltran’s line hit to right field.

Descalso homered – a liner into the right-field stands – in the eighth off Jared Hughes to start a two-run inning. Furcal added a run-scoring double.

St. Louis had tied the game in the second when Yadier Molina’s double down the left field line scored Beltran, who reached first on Morton’s fielding error.

Presley opened the scoring by scampering around the bases when his drive . Jack Wilson hit the Pirates’ only other inside-the-park home run at PNC Park on July 2, 2004, and last Pittsburgh player to hit one was Freddy Sanchez at Houston on July 21, 2008.

Schumaker was shaken up on the play and left the game. He had been activated from the disabled list prior to the game after missing the first 13 games because of a strained right oblique.

NOTES: Schumaker was activated and 1B Lance Berkman was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf. Schumaker’s rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis was cut short after four games because the Cardinals needed someone to fill in for CF Jon Jay, who sprained his right shoulder on Thursday and is day to day. Schumaker was 3 for 13 (.231) with two walks and two strikeouts at Memphis. . Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens, who was removed from his start after one inning Tuesday and placed on the DL, will rest seven to 10 days before beginning a throwing program. The Pirates do not have a timetable for Karstens’ return. RHP Brad Lincoln is expected to start in Karstens’ place Monday night against Colorado. . Jake Westbrook (2-0, 0.64) will start for St. Louis against Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50) on Saturday night. Westbrook is 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Lance Lynn (31) delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game on Friday, April 20, 2012, in Pittsburgh.

Photo by The Associated Press.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A detour to the bullpen has made Lance Lynn a better starting pitcher.

Lynn allowed only an inside-the-park homer to Alex Presley in seven innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Filling in nicely for injured ace Chris Carpenter, Lynn (3-0) gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out four. He has won each of his starts this season and compiled a 1.42 ERA while Carpenter has been on the disabled list with a nerve problem in his pitching shoulder. Lynn pitched primarily in relief last season as a rookie when St. Louis won the World Series.

“What I did when they moved me to the bullpen last year was challenge hitters, get ahead in the count and make them hit my pitch,” Lynn said. “When I was starting, I tried to nitpick. I’d get behind in the count and have to give the hitters good pitches to hit. I learned a lot from pitching out of the bullpen. I’m more aggressive and more confident now as a starter.”

Lynn showed that aggressive approach against Pittsburgh as he needed just 88 pitches to get through seven innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four.

“Efficient is the right word,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said in describing Lynn’s outing. “He had good life on the ball and later in the game he really mixed in all his pitches. He had a good tempo, a good rhythm with (catcher Yadier Molina). He really kept them off balance.”

Presley led off the bottom of the first with a drive off the top of the center field fence, the ball just eluding a leaping center fielder Skip Schumaker. Jack Wilson hit the Pirates’ only other inside-the-park home run at PNC Park on July 2, 2004, and the last Pittsburgh player to hit one was Freddy Sanchez at Houston on July 21, 2008.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Presley said. “I thought I had a triple for sure, and when I saw him miss it, I think he got hurt out there and couldn’t get up, that helped my chances a bunch. It was one of those things.”

Schumaker, who said he thought he would be able to play Saturday, was shaken up on the play and left the game. He had been activated from the disabled list prior to the game after missing the first 13 games because of a strained right oblique.

“Obviously it was not the debut I was looking for,” Schumaker said with a half-smile. “First of all, I should of caught the ball. Second of all, I couldn’t breathe. Coming off an oblique injury and getting your ribs rattled wasn’t something you wanted to do. They pulled me as a precautionary measure. I felt I could have stayed in but it is what it is.”

Jose Tabata followed Presley’s homer with a single but Pittsburgh never put a runner in scoring position.

“You get an inside-the-park homer and drop a single to the next guy and we ended up with two more (hits) the rest of the night,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was another strong outing for (Lynn). You have to take the barrel to him. He doesn’t seem like he’s going to hurt himself.”

Lynn also scored the go-ahead run on Carlos Beltran’s two-out single in the fifth inning off Charlie Morton (0-1).

Daniel Descalso homered for the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Morton allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits in five innings with three walks and six strikeouts.

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, who notched his third save in three tries, each pitched a hitless inning to complete the four-hitter for St. Louis.

After St. Louis tied it in the second inning on Molina’s RBI double, Lynn led off the fifth with a single. He took second on Rafael Furcal’s groundout, advanced to third on Matt Holliday’s fielder’s choice and scored on Beltran’s line hit to right field.

Descalso homered — a liner into the right-field stands — in the eighth off Jared Hughes to start a two-run inning. Furcal added a run-scoring double.

NOTES: Schumaker was activated and 1B Lance Berkman was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf. Schumaker’s rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis was cut short after four games because the Cardinals needed someone to fill in for CF Jon Jay, who sprained his right shoulder on Thursday and is day to day. Schumaker was 3 for 13 (.231) with two walks and two strikeouts at Memphis. … Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens, who was removed from his start after one inning Tuesday and placed on the DL, will rest seven to 10 days before beginning a throwing program. The Pirates do not have a timetable for Karstens’ return. RHP Brad Lincoln is expected to start in Karstens’ place Monday night against Colorado. … Jake Westbrook (2-0, 0.64) will start for St. Louis against Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50) on Saturday night. Westbrook is 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

Lance Lynn allowed only an inside-the-park homer to Alex Presley in seven innings, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Presley led off the bottom of the first with a drive off the top of the center field fence, the ball just eluding a leaping center fielder Skip Schumaker. It was just the Pirates’ second inside-the-parker at PNC Park since it opened in 2001.

Filling in nicely for injured ace Chris Carpenter, Lynn (3-0) gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out four. He has won each of his starts this season and compiled a 1.42 ERA while Carpenter has been on the disabled list with a nerve problem in his pitching shoulder. Lynn pitched primarily in relief last season as a rookie when St. Louis won the World Series.

Lynn also scored the go-ahead run on Carlos Beltran’s two-out single in the fifth inning off Charlie Morton (0-1).

Daniel Descalso homered for the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Morton allowed two runs — one earned — and four hits in five innings with three walks and six strikeouts.

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, who notched his third save in three tries, each pitched a hitless inning to complete the four-hitter for St. Louis.

After St. Louis tied it in the second inning on Yadier Molina’s RBI double, Lynn led off the fifth with a single. He took second on Rafael Furcal’s groundout, advanced to third on Matt Holliday’s fielder’s choice and scored on Beltran’s line hit to right field.

Descalso homered — a liner into the right-field stands — in the eighth off Jared Hughes to start a two-run inning. Furcal added a run-scoring double.

St. Louis had tied the game in the second when Yadier Molina’s double down the left field line scored Beltran, who reached first on Morton’s fielding error.

Presley opened the scoring by scampering around the bases when his drive . Jack Wilson hit the Pirates’ only other inside-the-park home run at PNC Park on July 2, 2004, and last Pittsburgh player to hit one was Freddy Sanchez at Houston on July 21, 2008.

Schumaker was shaken up on the play and left the game. He had been activated from the disabled list prior to the game after missing the first 13 games because of a strained right oblique.

NOTES: Schumaker was activated and 1B Lance Berkman was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf. Schumaker’s rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis was cut short after four games because the Cardinals needed someone to fill in for CF Jon Jay, who sprained his right shoulder on Thursday and is day to day. Schumaker was 3 for 13 (.231) with two walks and two strikeouts at Memphis. . Pittsburgh RHP Jeff Karstens, who was removed from his start after one inning Tuesday and placed on the DL, will rest seven to 10 days before beginning a throwing program. The Pirates do not have a timetable for Karstens’ return. RHP Brad Lincoln is expected to start in Karstens’ place Monday night against Colorado. . Jake Westbrook (2-0, 0.64) will start for St. Louis against Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50) on Saturday night. Westbrook is 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.

I know it’s early in the 2012 Major League Baseball season and there is plenty of baseball yet to played. Yet the surprise of the St. Louis Cardinals has been rookie Matt Carpenter. His batting average is .321 over 28 at bats in 11 games.

Although not as proficient as Steve Lombardozzi of the Washington Nationals with a .471 batting average thus far, Carpenter gets my early vote for the NL’s Rookie of the Year.

Carpenter’s .321 average is a bit misleading. Until an 0-for-4 performance April 19 in a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, his BA was .375 with a slugging percentage of .750.

Lombardozzi may have a better over average, but Carpenter gets more timely hits. The 11 RBIs are tops in the National League among rookies, according to MLB’s top rookie tracker. The last time Carpenter had such a high batting average was for the AA Springfield Cardinals, with a .316 average over 105 games in 2010 in the Texas League.

The absence of Albert Pujols is barely registering. David Freese leads the Cardinals with 13 RBIs and has a scorching .375 average. The second place guy in RBI totals is the up-and-comer Carpenter, who had just 15 at bats in seven games a year ago.

The key for Carpenter will be to stay healthy. For some reason, younger players haven’t been able to stay off the DL. Last year, Freese and Allen Craig struggled through injuries. Both guys are young talent who were key to the Cardinals’ World Series win.

This time last season, fans were complaining of a lack of hitting on the part of St. Louis. Pujols was in a slump. NBC Sports showed video of then-manager Tony La Russa quitting a press conference early after he felt there were enough questions about the Cardinals’ lack of offense.

Those questions are gone. The Cardinals lead the National League with a team batting average of .293. The next closest National League team are the Colorado Rockies with a .267 average.

Carpenter is second in RBIs on the NL Central Division leaders. For early buzz on the Rookie of the Year, Carpenter has got to be considered a favorite.

Even better is that no one predicted the St. Louis Cardinals to do this well so early in the season. Pitcher Adam Wainwright leads the team in strikeouts yet hasn’t won a game. Wainwright has been tagged for three of the four losses thus far on the season.

But the story of the Cardinals thus far hasn’t been pitching or defense. The offense has come alive thanks in part to some unlikely early-season production from an unheralded rookie.

William Browning was born in St. Louis and is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

PITTSBURGH, April 20 (UPI) — First baseman Lance Berkman has been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a leg injury, the St. Louis Cardinals said Friday.

The roster move was made retroactive to Thursday.

Berkman aggravated a left calf injury while chasing a pop-up earlier this week.

He is hitting .348 in seven games this season.

Berkman was voted the National League Comeback Player of the Year in 2011 when he hit .301 with 31 home runs and 94 runs batted in during his first season with the Cardinals.

St. Louis activated infielder Skip Schumaker off the 15-day disabled list to fill Berkman’s spot on the roster. Schumaker has been recovering from a torn right oblique muscle suffered during spring training.

In 117 games last season, Schumaker hit .283 with two home runs and 38 RBI.

ST. LOUIS — Thursday was a day of firsts for several Cincinnati Reds hitters, and another day to forget for Adam Wainwright.

Brandon Phillips homered for his first RBI of the season and Drew Stubbs homered for his first extra-base hit as the Reds backed soft-tossing Bronson Arroyo’s eight innings and broke loose for a 6-3 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals that avoided a three-game sweep.

“It’s been so long since we played a game like that,” manager Dusty Baker said. “I’m just glad our offense got clicking.”

Ryan Ludwick also homered for the Reds, who had connected just once in their previous nine games and began the day with a .211 batting average.

The Reds picked on Wainwright (0-3), a 20-game winner in 2010 coming off reconstructive elbow surgery that sidelined him all of 2011.

Wainwright is winless in his first three decisions for the first time in his career. He allowed multiple home runs in consecutive starts for just the second time.

“His velocity is a little bit down,” Ludwick said. “I feel like we were able to take advantage of it a little bit and in that scenario, you’ve got to. When he’s on, when he gets back to 100 percent, he’s one of those guys that sometimes you’re lucky to get one run against.”

Although he said it was a “valid question” to ask whether the comeback had been a lot tougher than he had anticipated, Wainwright added: “I’m just in a funk.

“You can say whatever you want to about surgery and all that. My arm feels fine, I’m just not throwing great.”

Wainwright allowed four runs in five innings, leaving him with a 9.88 ERA. He thought his fastball had more life and his curveball also was improved, but “my cutter was brutal, and that’s what both home runs were on.”

Phillips hit his first homer since Sept. 20 against the Astros, a span of 53 at-bats, and drove in his first run in 40 at-bats. Stubbs was 3-for-5 and the home run was his first extra-base hit in 50 at-bats.

Ludwick’s two-run homer was Cincinnati’s second in a span of three at-bats in the fourth. Stubbs hit his first against Victor Marte in the seventh.

Matt Holliday’s three-run homer in the sixth was the only damage against Arroyo (1-0), who struck out five and walked none in scattering five hits. Arroyo threw just 90 pitches.

“He doesn’t throw any fastballs on fastball counts,” Holliday said. “He mixes it up, slow, slow and slower, and then he’ll sneak his fastball in there. He had us off-balance.”

Joey Votto added an RBI single in the Reds’ ninth against Fernando Salas. Sean Marshall struck out the side after allowing a leadoff hit in the ninth for his second save in as many chances.

Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay left after the seventh with a sprained right shoulder after bumping into the wall trying to grab Stubbs’ homer. Jay said X-rays showed no significant damage and said he was day to day.

“I was about to make my jump and just miscalculated my steps,” Jay said. “It’s not too bad. Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day.”

Earlier Thursday, general manager John Mozeliak said first baseman Lance Berkman would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left calf injury. The Cardinals plan on activating utilityman Skip Schumaker from the 15-day DL from a pulled right side muscle sustained in spring training.

“If you can’t run, you can’t play,” Berkman said after the game. “It’s not really that tough of a decision.”

Phillips got his RBI with one out in the third, Jay Bruce followed with a single and Ludwick hit the next pitch beyond the visitor’s bullpen.

Arroyo allowed two hits the first five innings, but the Cardinals opened the sixth with three consecutive hits. Rafael Furcal and Jay singled before Holliday, who had been 3-for-26 on the homestand, hit his third homer to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The NL Central-leading Cardinals are 9-4. A sweep against the Reds would have given the franchise its best start to the season since it was 13-3 in 1982, a World Series title year.

Notes: The Reds are 3-21-2 in 26 series in St. Louis since 2003. … Right-hander Homer Bailey (0-2, 5.40) starts for the Reds in the opener of a three-game series today at the Chicago Cubs. St. Louis’ Lance Lynn (2-0, 1.50) makes his fifth career start at Pittsburgh. … Wainwright previous allowed homers in consecutive starts May 5 and 10, 2009, surrendering two each against the Phillies at home and at Cincinnati. … Marshall has seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. … Rafael Furcal had two hits for the Cardinals and is 6-for-10 the past two games.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired Mat Latos from San Diego in the offseason to shore up their starting pitching.

So far, Latos has struggled _ and so has his team.

Latos went 5 2-3 innings for his longest stint of the year, but the St. Louis Cardinals roughed him up Wednesday night in an 11-1 romp over the Reds.

Latos (0-2) was touched for eight runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out six.

The Reds have dropped five of the first six games on their 10-game road trip and are already five games in back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Devin Mesoraco drove in Cincinnati’s only run with an infield single in the fifth.

Reds manager Dusty Baker said he does not believe Latos, who has an 8.22 ERA, is feeling any pressure to live up to preseason expectations. Baker attributes most of Latos’ problems to missing his spots.

“I don’t think it’s mechanical as much as it is location,” Baker said. “The balls that have been hit hard are balls over the heart of the plate.”

There were plenty of hard-hit balls Wednesday, both while Latos was on the mound and after, as the Cardinals pounded out 14 hits.

“I knew they were going to be tough,” Latos said. “They’re a good-hitting ballclub.”

He found that out in the first two innings.

The Cardinals greeted Latos rudely as Rafael Furcal doubled down the line in right leading off the first and Carlos Beltran followed with a walk. Furcal later scored on Lance Berkman’s infield single and David Freese delivered a two-run double.

Beltran made it 5-0 when he homered with two out in the second. That was not an uncommon occurrence _ Beltran had also homered off Latos in his two other official at-bats coming into Wednesday, though Latos did later retire Beltran for the first time in the fourth on a groundout.

After that, though, Latos settled down and held St. Louis scoreless for the next three innings.

“I just said the heck with it, I’m just going to go out there and throw and just reared back and threw and gave it everything I got,” Latos said. “I think the outcome was a little different.”

“A positive is that I found out what I haven’t been doing, I guess. More trusting my stuff and just letting it go,” he said.

Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia (2-0) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks. He was aided by four double plays and helped his cause with a triple off the wall in center field in the sixth that made it 7-1 and chased Latos.

“He got in some situations where he got a couple of walks and got behind guys,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “But he’s got the kind of stuff that he can turn it around quick and get strikeouts and get groundballs. He got some double plays that helped him out.”

The homer was Beltran’s fifth of the season and second of the series. Tyler Greene also had a two-run homer while Furcal had four hits and drove in two runs.

NOTES: Adam Wainwright, who has never started a season 0-2, will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when he takes the ball for St. Louis on Thursday. … Of the eight position players that started for the Reds, only three were hitting better than .200 at the beginning of the night. … Berkman left the game in the fifth inning after aggravating a left calf injury. He acknowledged after the game that he could be headed to the disabled list. … Reds starters have not earned a victory since Johnny Cueto beat Miami 4-0 on opening day.

Jaime Garcia pitched seven effective innings and hit a two-run triple, Carlos Beltran homered again and the St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to a season-high four games Wednesday night with an 11-1 rout of the slumping Cincinnati Reds. 

Beltran hit a two-run shot, his fifth homer overall and second of the series. Tyler Greene also had a two-run homer while Rafael Furcal had four hits and drove in two runs. 

Garcia (2-0) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks. He was aided by four double plays and helped his cause with a triple off the wall in center field in the sixth that made it 7-1 and chased Mat Latos (0-2). 

The Reds have dropped five of the first six games on their 10-game road trip and are already five games in back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Devin Mesoraco drove in Cincinnati’s only run with an infield single in the fifth. 

Latos lasted 5 2-3 innings for his longest stint of the year, but was touched for eight runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out six. 

The Cardinals greeted Latos rudely as Furcal doubled down the line in right leading off the first and Beltran followed with a walk. 
Furcal later scored on Lance Berkman’s infield single and David Freese delivered a two-run double.
 
Beltran made it 5-0 when he homered with two out in the second. That was not an uncommon occurrence Ñ Beltran had also homered off Latos in his two other official at-bats coming into Wednesday, though Latos did later retire Beltran for the first time in the fourth on a groundout. 

NOTES: Adam Wainright, who has never started a season 0-2, will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when he takes the ball for St. Louis today. … Of the eight position players that started for the Reds, only three were hitting better than .200 at the beginning of the night. … Berkman left the game in the fifth inning after aggravating a left calf injury. He was to be re-evaluated and is considered day-to-day. … Reds starters have not earned a victory since Johnny Cueto beat Miami 4-0 on opening day. 
 

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaime Garcia pitched seven effective innings and hit a two-run triple, Carlos Beltran homered again and the St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to a season-high four games Wednesday night with an 11-1 rout of the slumping Cincinnati Reds.

Beltran hit a two-run shot, his fifth homer overall and second of the series. Tyler Greene also had a two-run homer while Rafael Furcal had four hits and drove in two runs.

Garcia (2-0) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks. He was aided by four double plays and helped his cause with a triple off the wall in center field in the sixth that made it 7-1 and chased Mat Latos (0-2).

The Reds have dropped five of the first six games on their 10-game road trip and are already five games in back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Devin Mesoraco drove in Cincinnati’s only run with an infield single in the fifth.

Latos lasted 5 2-3 innings for his longest stint of the year, but was touched for eight runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out six.

The Cardinals greeted Latos rudely as Furcal doubled down the line in right leading off the first and Beltran followed with a walk.

Furcal later scored on Lance Berkman’s infield single and David Freese delivered a two-run double.

Beltran made it 5-0 when he homered with two out in the second. That was not an uncommon occurrence – Beltran had also homered off Latos in his two other official at-bats coming into Wednesday, though Latos did later retire Beltran for the first time in the fourth on a groundout.

NOTES: Adam Wainright, who has never started a season 0-2, will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when he takes the ball for St. Louis on Thursday. … Of the eight position players that started for the Reds, only three were hitting better than .200 at the beginning of the night. … Berkman left the game in the fifth inning after aggravating a left calf injury. He was to be re-evaluated and is considered day-to-day. … Reds starters have not earned a victory since Johnny Cueto beat Miami 4-0 on opening day.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaime Garcia pitched seven effective innings and hit a two-run triple, Carlos Beltran homered again and the St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to a season-high four games Wednesday night with an 11-1 rout of the slumping Cincinnati Reds.

Beltran hit a two-run shot, his fifth homer overall and second of the series. Tyler Greene also had a two-run homer while Rafael Furcal had four hits and drove in two runs.

Garcia (2-0) allowed one run on seven hits and three walks. He was aided by four double plays and helped his cause with a triple off the wall in center field in the sixth that made it 7-1 and chased Mat Latos (0-2).

The Reds have dropped five of the first six games on their 10-game road trip and are already five games in back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Devin Mesoraco drove in Cincinnati’s only run with an infield single in the fifth.

Latos lasted 5 2-3 innings for his longest stint of the year, but was touched for eight runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out six.

The Cardinals greeted Latos rudely as Furcal doubled down the line in right leading off the first and Beltran followed with a walk.

Furcal later scored on Lance Berkman’s infield single and David Freese delivered a two-run double.

Beltran made it 5-0 when he homered with two out in the second. That was not an uncommon occurrence – Beltran had also homered off Latos in his two other official at-bats coming into Wednesday, though Latos did later retire Beltran for the first time in the fourth on a groundout.

NOTES: Adam Wainright, who has never started a season 0-2, will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat when he takes the ball for St. Louis on Thursday. … Of the eight position players that started for the Reds, only three were hitting better than .200 at the beginning of the night. … Berkman left the game in the fifth inning after aggravating a left calf injury. He was to be re-evaluated and is considered day-to-day. … Reds starters have not earned a victory since Johnny Cueto beat Miami 4-0 on opening day.

Though the 2012 season is just a couple of weeks old, trends are already developing in the clubhouses of the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, two of the more high-profile teams to change managers after the 2011 season. The two men’s personalities are already coming through loud and clear. Mike Matheny, the Cardinals‘ new manager, is clearly well-liked and respected by the players, while Bobby Valentine may already have a mutiny on his hands in Boston.

The teams certainly changed skippers for very different reasons. Like many, I thought the Cardinals seemed dead in August, but the team rallied with a great September and caught the Braves for the final NL playoff spot. The story of the team’s charge through the postseason is now part of Cardinals lore. Tony LaRussa retired as a champion just days after the team beat Texas for the franchise’s 11^th World Series title.

Boston, on the other hand, suffered a collapse that was the AL version of the Braves’ stumble in the NL. After the season embarrassing details about the team emerged and Terry Francona either resigned or was fired, depending on what story you believe. Bobby Valentine was hired to replace Francona even though some early reports said that he was not favored by the players.

Now the two teams are seeing the consequences of their hires. Cardinals fans, myself included, embraced Matheny because of his playing days with the team. I appreciated his calm leadership and his handling of the pitchers from his days as a catcher. I felt it would be a great help when Dave Duncan retired, which turned out to happen sooner than people expected.

The players like Matheny as well. After the team beat Miami in the season opener for Matheny’s first win as a manager, the team held a little impromptu ceremony and catcher Yadier Molina presented Matheny with the game ball. The local St. Louis press has run several stories that mention how much the players love playing for Matheny.

I appreciate Matheny’s approach so far. He hasn’t tried to come in and throw his weight around. He hasn’t thrown any players under the bus, like Valentine felt the need to do. His is a kind of natural authority that the players can respect. Of course, he inherited a veteran clubhouse from his predecessor. And a fast start, like the Cards 7-3, first-place showing in the NL Central, doesn’t hurt a bit.

A native of St. Louis, Brad Boeker has rooted for the Cardinals for over 40 years.

Jaime Garcia (54) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium.