Mike Matheny never had a losing record in his six-plus years as St. Louis Cardinals manager, but it looked obvious in his final days on the job that the team needed a new voice. They looked flatter than a week-old bottle of soda, often repeating the same mistakes and losing games that could be won.
Firing Matheny after a come-from-ahead loss to Cincinnati July 14 and replacing him with bench coach Mike Shildt has apparently been the spark St. Louis needed. With Shildt running the show, the Cardinals are 16-9 and have won five straight series, injecting themselves into the playoff picture.