Matt Carpenter has been the lone consistent piece in what has been a different season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Coming off a 9-6 loss against the Chicago Cubs to open the second half on Thursday, Carpenter took over on Friday afternoon with three home runs and seven RBI in the Cardinals' 18-5 rout of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Carpenter added two doubles to tie the major league record with five extra-base hits in a game.
He is just the fifth player in MLB history to record three home runs and two doubles in a game, and the first to record five extra-base hits in just six innings. He finished 5-for-5 on the day, including his 21st career leadoff home run, which ties Lou Brock for the most in franchise history. The infielder's big day helped St. Louis get out to a 15-1 lead, causing the Cubs to put position players, Tommy La Stella, Victor Caratini, and Ian Happ, on the mound. That made Chicago the first team since the 1979 Milwaukee Brewers to have three position players pitch in the game.
Carpenter's performance kept him hot overall, as he has now gone deep in four straight games, and is 9-for-16 with six home runs, three doubles, and 10 RBI in that span. He has set the team record with six leadoff home runs this season.
The Cubs lost for just the fourth time in the past 17 games, but the Milwaukee Brewers' seventh straight loss helped them hang on to their three-game lead in the NL Central. Jon Lester suffered his third loss after allowing a season-high eight runs on seven hits and five walks over three innings. These two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, before finishing the series on Sunday.
He is just the fifth player in MLB history to record three home runs and two doubles in a game, and the first to record five extra-base hits in just six innings. He finished 5-for-5 on the day, including his 21st career leadoff home run, which ties Lou Brock for the most in franchise history. The infielder's big day helped St. Louis get out to a 15-1 lead, causing the Cubs to put position players, Tommy La Stella, Victor Caratini, and Ian Happ, on the mound. That made Chicago the first team since the 1979 Milwaukee Brewers to have three position players pitch in the game.
Carpenter's performance kept him hot overall, as he has now gone deep in four straight games, and is 9-for-16 with six home runs, three doubles, and 10 RBI in that span. He has set the team record with six leadoff home runs this season.
The Cubs lost for just the fourth time in the past 17 games, but the Milwaukee Brewers' seventh straight loss helped them hang on to their three-game lead in the NL Central. Jon Lester suffered his third loss after allowing a season-high eight runs on seven hits and five walks over three innings. These two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, before finishing the series on Sunday.
