With injured All-Star Matt Holliday out of the lineup, Matheny slid leadoff hitter Kolten Wong to Holliday's three-hole and dubbed Carpenter the leadoff man for just the fourth time since April.
The move jump-started a St. Louis offense that scored more runs than it had in its previous five games combined, as Carpenter's 4-for-5, two-homer night paced a 14-hit game for the Cardinals and signaled the return of a hitter who has been finding his way since beginning the season on a tear from the leadoff position.