ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mike Shildt wasn’t sure what to expect in his first day as interim manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

He certainly didn’t foresee the treatment he received in a wild post-game celebration that occurred following the Cardinals’ 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

“They got me in a laundry basket and they spin you around and then they go at you with a bunch of cold water to the point where I was hyperventilating,” Shildt said.

Veteran Dexter Fowler, who homered in the win, was happy to lead the joyful water attack.

“That guy knows his stuff, and you’re happy to put a smile on his face and get the (first) win for him,” Fowler said.

The frivolity came at a perfect time for the Cardinals, who broke a six-game home losing streak.

Rumors of discontent in the locker room, along with inconsistent play, spelled the end for manager Mike Matheny, who was fired after Saturday’s 8-2 loss after six-plus seasons. The Cardinals were 591-474 during Mathey’s tenure and made the playoffs in each of his first four years. But St. Louis failed to reach the postseason the last two years.

Matheny was a gold glove catcher for St. Louis from 2000-04 and used those leadership qualities as a manager.

Veteran catcher Yadier Molina said the firing of Matheny reflects on the entire team.

“When you see that happen, it’s because us, as players, we’re not doing our job,” Molina said. “I hate to say it, but that’s what it is. The blame is on us.”

Matt Carpenter and Fowler homered to lead an opportunistic seven-hit attack. Tommy Pham broke out of a 0-for-20 slump with a two-run, go-ahead single for the Cardinals, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Cincinnati, which had won four of five, is 35-26 since beginning the season 8-27.

John Gant (3-3) picked up the win with four hitless innings of relief. He struck out four and walked two.

Carpenter began the game with a first-pitch homer, his fifth leadoff home run of the season and 20th of his career. He leads the team with 19 round-trippers.

Fowler added a solo shot in the second off Anthony DeSclafani (4-2) for a 2-0 lead.

Pham erased a 3-2 deficit with a two-run single that highlighted a four-run outburst in the fourth. It was Pham’s first hit since July 5. He entered the game in the second inning after starter Harrison Bader left with a knee injury.

Both Pham, who is hitting .243 and Fowler (.176), have struggled at times this season.

“Those are guys that have proven success in this league,” Shildt said. “It’s definitely good for their confidence.”

Shildt said he was still in awe of his new situation after the contest.

“I’m still not believing it to some degree,” Shildt said. “But it’s a real moment. (I) just got through managing a game for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Adam Duvall tied the game for the Reds with a two-run, bases-loaded single in the fourth. Jose Peraza then put his team in front with a single off the leg of starter Miles Mikolas.

DeSclafani allowed six earned runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings.

“I just wasn’t good,” DeSclafani said. “I was terrible.”

Mikolas, who is headed to the All-Star Game, surrendered three runs on six hits over four innings in his shortest outing of the season.

Reds outfielder Jesse Winker extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games with a third-inning single.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey allowed four earned runs in six innings of a rehab start for Triple-A Louisville on Friday. Bailey is 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA in six minor league appearances. He was put on the disabled list June 2 with right knee inflammation.

Cardinals: Bader suffered his knee injury while running out a hit to right field.

UP NEXT

Reds: Cincinnati begins the second half on Friday against Pittsburgh. Right-hander Tyler Mahle (7-7, 4.02) will get the start.

Cardinals: St. Louis travels to Chicago for a four-game series against the Cubs after the break.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Scooter Gennett and Dilson Herrera homered, Matt Harvey tossed five solid innings and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 on Friday night.

Jesse Winker reached base four times and drove in three runs for the Reds, who won their second in a row against St. Louis after breaking a 13-game losing streak to the Cardinals on June 10.

St. Louis had won 17 of the previous 20 games between the teams.

Winker staked the Reds to an early lead with a two-run double in the first.

Gennett hit his 17th homer of the season off Carlos Martinez (6-5) in the third to push the lead to 3-1.

Herrera added a three-run, pinch-hit homer off Sam Tuivailala to highlight a five-run outburst in the seventh.

Harvey (5-5) won his fourth successive decision. He allowed one run on four hits over five innings and left after walking Jose Martinez to start the sixth. He struck out five and walked two.

Harvey, who was acquired from the New York Mets on May 8, is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in his last six starts. He retired 10 consecutive batters before the walk to Martinez.

Yadier Molina, celebrating his 36th birthday, drove in the Cardinals’ run in the first.

Martinez gave up three runs on six hits over five innings. He had won his previous three starts.

Jose Peraza and Eugenio Suarez had three hits for Cincinnati, which has won three of four.

The Reds improved to 34-25 following their 8-27 start to the season. They are 39-37 under interim manager Jim Riggleman, who took over for Bryan Price on April 19.

Outfielder Billy Hamilton reached over the wall to rob Matt Carpenter of a homer in the seventh.

TATUM’S TOSS

Boston Celtics standout Jayson Tatum threw out the first pitch before the contest. The St. Louis native wore a Cardinals jersey with the No. 0, his NBA number.

Tatum attended Chaminade School in suburban St. Louis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP Austin Brice (1-2, 6.04) was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Friday. RHP Tanner Rainey (0-0, 24.43) was optioned to Louisville.

Cardinals: Activated RHP Luke Gregerson (0-0, 8.64) and LHP Tyler Lyons (1-0, 5.93) from the disabled list. Gregerson had been sidelined since May 16 with right shoulder impingement. Lyons missed 33 games with a left elbow strain. RHPs John Brebbia (1-3, 4.13) and Luke Weaver (5-8, 4.72) were optioned to Memphis.

UP NEXT:

RHP Luis Castillo (5-8, 5.53) will face RHP Jack Flaherty (3-4, 3.34) in the second game of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon. Castillo is 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals. Flaherty is coming off the shortest start of his career. He went just 2 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs in a 13-8 loss.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodon pitched three-hit, shutout ball into the eighth inning to outduel Luke Weaver and lead the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

Tim Anderson tripled and had two RBI. Charlie Tilson singled in a run off reliever Mike Mayers in Chicago’s two-run seventh and Jose Abreu added an RBI groundout as White Sox ended a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time in their last 13.

Rodon (2-3) allowed only two singles and a double while walking two and striking out a season-high seven though 7 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old left-hander, who spent the first two months of 2018 on the disabled list rehabbing from shoulder surgery, sparkled in just his seventh start this season.

Joakim Soria got the final four outs for his 13th save in 16 chances.

Weaver (5-8) allowed one run on three hits and fanned seven his second straight impressive start. The right-hander pitched two-hit ball over a career-high eight innings last week in San Francisco.

Jose Martinez grounded a sharp single off Rodon with two outs in the first. Then the White Sox lefty didn’t allow another hit — and retired 14 of 15 batters — before Matt Carpenter doubled with one out in the sixth.

Rodon was coming off his strongest outing this season, when he allowed two runs on five hits in a six-inning no-decision at Houston last week.

The White Sox managed only three baserunners — with Yolmer Sanchez singling twice — before the fifth, when Chicago took a 1-0 lead.

Leury Garcia walked to lead off, advanced to third on Omar Narvaez’s single and came home when Anderson grounded into a force at second.

The White Sox scored twice with two outs in the seventh to make it 3-0. Narvaez singled, then scored on Anderson’s triple to the left field corner. Tilson’s single plated Anderson.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the eighth to chase Rodon. Paul DeJong led off with a single, Kolten Wong reached on an error and Carpenter walked.

But Juan Minaya fanned Tommy Pham for the second out, then Soria struck out Martinez to end the threat.

The White Sox added a run in the eighth when Yoan Moncada came home on Abreu’s groundout.

ALL-STAR NIX

Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas was removed from the National League’s active roster for the All-Star Game next Tuesday because he’s scheduled to start Sunday against Cincinnati. Los Angeles Dodgers righty Ross Stripling was added to the NL pitching staff Wednesday as Mikolas’ replacement.

Mikolas is 10-3 with a 2.65 ERA and was selected to his first All-Star team last weekend. The 29-year-old is enjoying a resurgent season in the majors after three years in Japan.

ROSTER MOVES

The White Sox designated RHP Bruce Rondon for assignment and purchased the contract of RHP Jeanmar Gomez from Triple-A Charlotte before the game The 27-year-old Rondon went 2/3 with an 8.49 ERA and one save in 35 games. The reliever got one out and issued three walks in Tuesday night’s 14-2 loss to St. Louis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Tommy Pham (bruised left ankle) was back in the lineup after being a last-minute scratch on Tuesday and struck out four times. Pham fouled a ball off his foot on Sunday. . Manager Mike Matheny said LHP Tyler Lyons (sprained left elbow) is close to returning from his rehab assignment. . RHP Luke Gregerson (right shoulder impingement) could be activated this weekend, but Matheny didn’t have a date.

White Sox: RHP Nate Jones (right forearm muscle strain) tossed live batting practice on Wednesday. Jones said he felt good and threw at “90-100 percent,” but the next steps in the right-hander’s recovery haven’t been determined . RHP Miguel Gonzales underwent right shoulder surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday. His recovery time is expected to be nine to 12 months.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-4, 3.05) looks for his fourth straight win when he takes the mound against Cincinnati’s Matt Harvey (4-5, 4.80) on Friday in the opener of a three-game home series.

White Sox: RHP James Shields (3-10, 4.53) squares off against Kansas City RHP Brad Kelley (2-3, 2.52) on Friday in Chicago.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Slumping outfielder Dexter Fowler hit his fourth career grand slam, All-Star Miles Mikolas tossed six innings of three-hit ball and the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Chicago White Sox 14-2 on Tuesday night.

Kolten Wong had four hits, including a two-run homer and a double, as every St. Louis starter except catcher Yadier Molina got at least one hit. Jose Martinez had three hits and two RBI.

Fowler lofted his sixth homer this season, but first since May 6, to cap the Cardinals’ seven-run sixth. He finished with two hits and played right field in only his second start since June 27.

Fowler entered batting just .167 — and .111 in his previous 20 games. Wong entered hitting only .208 for the season, but has 10 hits in his last 18 at-bats.

Mikolas (10-3), selected to his first All-Star team Sunday, faced only three hitters in five of his six innings. The right-hander allowed two runs and struck out six.

Charlie Tilson drove in two runs for the White Sox in the third, one of only two innings in which Chicago had baserunners against Mikolas.

White Sox starter Dylan Covey (3-5) lasted five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks. The right-hander lost his fourth straight decision and has an 11.70 ERA in his last five starts.

Mikolas came out dealing, fanning five of the first six White Sox hitters. Covey started strong, too, retiring eight of the first nine Cardinals batters and striking out four.

Then with two outs in the third, four consecutive line-drive singles gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

The White Sox tied it 2-all in the bottom half. Tilson’s single, the third straight hit off Mikolas to start the inning, drove in both runs.

The Cardinals moved back ahead 3-2 in the fourth when Jedd Gyorko scored from third on a forceout. St. Louis made it 4-2 in the fifth on Molina’s sacrifice fly.

Then the Cardinals broke it open in the sixth with seven runs on three hits and four walks.

Omar Narvaez’s passed ball and a wild pitch by reliever Bruce Rondon allowed two runs to score. Rondon then issued three straight walks to force in another run before Fowler went deep to left-center off Hector Santiago.

Wong’s two-run shot off Santiago in the eighth made it 13-2. Martinez doubled home a run in the ninth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Tommy Pham (bruised left ankle) was scratched from the lineup and replaced by Yairo Munoz. Pham fouled a ball off his foot on Sunday in San Francisco. . Molina returned after sitting out two games with a sore shoulder. He also was added to the NL All-Star roster as a replacement for Giants catcher Buster Posey, who will miss the game because of a nagging hip injury that requires an injection. … RHP Luke Gregerson (right shoulder impingement) rejoined the team from a rehab stint at Triple-A Memphis, but had not yet been activated from the disabled list.

White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. Garcia, an All-Star in 2017, missed two months earlier this season with a more serious strain to the same muscle, but in a different location. GM Rick Hahn hopes Garcia will return after the All-Star break. The White Sox added outfielder Ryan LaMarre to take Garcia’s place.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (5-7, 4.92 ERA) faces LHP Carlos Rodon (1-3, 4.29) on Wednesday in the finale of the two-game set. Weaver pitched two-hit ball over a career-high eight innings last Thursday in San Francisco and carried a perfect game into the sixth.

— Associated Press —

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — At some point, Giants manager Bruce Bochy plans to give Pablo Sandoval a day off. It’s just that Sandoval’s bat, coupled with a slew of injuries in San Francisco’s infield, is making it increasingly difficult to rest the portly third baseman.

Sandoval homered and had five RBI to back an uneven start by Madison Bumgarner as the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-8 on Sunday.

“I come here every day to play and help the team to win,” Sandoval said. “That’s my main goal. I know I’ve been playing a lot but I know what my role is. I’m going to be ready for everything. I feel good.”

Andrew McCutchen and Alen Hanson each added three hits. Brandon Belt and Gorkys Hernandez had two apiece to help the Giants split the four-game series.

Bumgarner (2-3) earned his second win this season despite an erratic outing. Making his seventh start after missing the first two months with a broken left pinkie, Bumgarner allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and hit a batter with a pitch.

“Nothing really was working for me,” Bumgarner said. “Fortunately our offense did a tremendous job getting us back in the game and getting a big enough lead where they couldn’t come back.”

The Giants bailed out their ace with a pair of three-run innings and a five-run sixth while setting a season high for scoring.

After Jose Martinez’s RBI single off Bumgarner in the fifth put St. Louis ahead 4-3, San Francisco rallied against reliever John Brebbia.

Belt doubled and went to third on All-Star Brandon Crawford’s single. Sandoval followed with his eighth home run, a three-run drive that bounced into the waters of McCovey Cove.

“(Brebbia) left it there right in the happy zone,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval added a two-run single in the sixth. The five RBI were one shy of his career high.

“Pablo, he’s a different guy,” Bochy said. “You look at him, you think he’s going to need his rest but he brings it every day. I would like to find a way to get him a day before the (All-Star) break. Between playing first and third base, he’s out there as much as anybody.”

Brebbia (1-3) also took the loss against the Giants on Friday.

“I threw him a pitch in the strike zone with a 1-2 count, which is never any good,” Brebbia said. “When that happens with a guy like that, there’s going to be some damage.”

Matt Carpenter hit his 17th home run and Yairo Munoz also went deep for St. Louis.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty gave up three runs, two earned, in 2 1/3 innings.

GIANTS TRADE

San Francisco traded OF Austin Jackson, RHP Cory Gearrin and a minor league player to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named or cash.

MIXED DEBUTS

Center fielder Steven Duggar and right-hander Ray Black made their major league debuts for the Giants after getting called up earlier in the day. Duggar went 2 for 6 with a double, and Black allowed three runs and retired one batter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: CF Tommy Pham left in the seventh with a bone bruise after fouling a ball off his left foot. X-rays were negative. … C Yadier Molina sat out for the second consecutive day because of soreness in his right shoulder. … OF Dexter Fowler was back on the bench, one day after making his first start since June 27.

Giants: Hernandez exited with a tight calf after hitting a two-run single in the sixth. Derek Holland, who has been pitching out of the bullpen lately, was brought in as a pinch-runner. Hernandez is likely to miss at least one game, Bochy said.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: All-Star RHP Miles Mikolas (9-3, 2.63 ERA) starts Tuesday in Chicago against the White Sox. Mikolas matched his career high for walks in his last outing but is second in the NL in fewest free passes per nine innings (1.4) among qualifying pitchers.

Giants: LHP Andrew Suarez (3-5, 3.92) faces the Cubs on Monday night at home. Suarez took the loss in his last start despite allowing only one run over seven innings.

— Associated Press —