ATLANTA • Injuries to Stephen Piscotty and Dexter Fowler forced a rewrite of the Cardinals' lineup as they arrive at the Braves' new ballpark, SunTrust Park.
Recent performance and available bodies guided Mike Matheny's pen.
So did a few certainties.
Kolten Wong, who has a career-high nine-game hitting streak, ascends to leadoff with Fowler unavailable. Jose Martinez and Tommy Pham also move into the outfield. How Matheny arranged the outfielders and held Matt Carpenter in place seems to be done with consistency. Instead of sliding over to center fielder, where he started most of 2016, Randal Grichuk will remain in left as Pham gets the start in center.