With one crack of the bat, Dexter Fowler both provided a lead and seemed to jar the Cardinals' offense awake.
After Fowler's three-run homer in the fifth frame, the Cardinals added two more in the sixth, thanks to RBI singles by left fielder Tommy Pham and catcher Eric Fryer.
The cushion proved critical, as reliever Matt Bowman surrendered a solo home run to Daniel Nava in the seventh.
Trevor Rosenthal took a 5-3 lead to the mound to start the eighth.
Aledmys Diaz started things off against Phillies reliever Joaquin Benoit in the sixth inning thanks to a one-out single to second baseman Howie Kendrick.