ST. LOUIS -- Matt Carpenter does not need to work longer hours, his manager insists. In fact, Mike Matheny recently threatened -- jokingly, of course -- to fine Carpenter for every minute early he showed up to the ballpark.
Instead, coaxing the Cardinals third baseman back to his early season ways at the plate is a matter of Carpenter working smarter, not harder, Matheny said before Thursday's 5-3, 11-inning loss to the Padres at Busch Stadium.
ST LOUIS -- The Padres opened a four-game series at Busch Stadium with a 5-3 win over the Cardinals on Thursday after Will Venable broke an 11-inning tie with a two-out, pinch-hit home run off reliever Carlos Villanueva.