Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday afternoon

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MIAMI (AP) — Even Matt Carpenter has been surprised by the run he has been on.Carpenter http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-dansby-swanson-jersey , who has won two of the last three NL Player of the Week awards, hit his 30th home run, a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning that lifted the St. Louis Cardinals over the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Tuesday night.“I couldn’t imagine the stretch I’m putting together,” Carpenter said. “I would have never guessed that. It’s uncharted territory for me. But at the same time, in May, when I was struggling, I knew I was close. I knew I was going to turn it around to the extend that it has I couldn’t have guessed that. But it’s been fun.”Carpenter sent a shot off Elieser Hernandez (2-6) into the Cardinals bullpen in right field homering for the fourth time in five games and increased his career high for home runs. Several St. Louis relievers celebrated with their arms in the air.“We talked about sample size when you have a guy that’s been in the league for a period of time and been in MVP conversation before, you can’t be surprised,” Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt said. “I’m not. We’re not. Rough start, but body of work speaks for the fact that he is going to come back and do what he’s doing now.”The home run almost did not happen. Carpenter looked at a pitch thinking it was ball four, but it was called a strike setting up a 3-2 offering.“It turned out better,” Carpenter said. “I just wanted to get on base and a chance to score. I thought it was up, but it worked out OK.”Carpenter also extended his streak of reaching base safely to 26 games, tying a career high and is the longest active string in the majors.“Obviously he’s a tough guy because he kind of crowds you at the plate and he’s not really a chaser so he makes you throw the ball over,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “There’s places to get him, but you’ve got to make pitches and even the last one is not terrible, but he gets it outer-third probably and we want to try to get the ball up right there. If he gets the ball up, he probably beats him or at least can’t turn it over right there, but I think that’s the challenge with him. He’s a guy that knows the strike zone, you know exactly what type of hitter he is and basically what he’s trying to do, but you’ve got to make pitches.”Paul DeJong hit a tying, two-run homer in the seventh for the Cardinals, who have won eight of 12.“Success breeds energy and excitement,” Carpenter said. “We’re certainly playing well and that’s exciting. We’re starting to get in a little roll.”Marcell Ozuna had a pair of hits and is 5 for 8 in his first two games at Marlins Park since being traded by Miami to St. Louis in the offseason.Miles Mikolas (12-3) pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits.“He pitched great Ozzie Albies Jersey ,” Shildt said. “Ahead of the count, had pitches working. Long first inning but he settled down, used his defense, keeps guys engaged which typically helps the defense.”Dakota Hudson pitched the eighth for St. Louis and was aided by an impressive defensive play when center fielder Harrison Bader charged in and made a diving catch to take a hit away from Martin Prado. Bud Norris worked around a walk and a wild pitch in the ninth for his 22nd save in 25 chances.Pablo Lopez pitched seven innings and issued a walk before DeJong’s homer.“I think I let the game speed up on me a little bit,” Lopez said. “It was late in the game and my pitch count was high so I didn’t have my best execution.”Derek Dietrich had three hits for the Marlins, who have lost seven of eight.Justin Bour hit an RBI single in the Miami first after Dietrich led off with a hit. JT Riddle tripled to begin the fifth and scored on a single by Miguel Rojas.QUICK GAMEMikolas wanted to make it a point to work quick in the two-hour, 34-minute contest because of his 1-year old daughter.“It was my daughter’s first baseball game so I knew her bed time is early so I wanted to made sure she caught as much of the game as possible before she had to go to bed,” Mikolas said.BARRACLOUGH NO LONGER THE CLOSERAfter being removed in the ninth of Monday’s win, Mattingly announced before the game that struggling reliever Kyle Barraclough will no longer be the team’s closer. Barraclough has blown his last three save opportunities and has a 23.14 ERA in his previous six outings.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (elbow) threw a bullpen session of about 40 pitches. “Positive, I got just initial feedback that his bullpen went well today,” interim manager Mike Shildt said. “He’s going up to the complex in Jupiter and getting some more work and see where it goes, but he’s very optimistic and is taking steps in the right direction.”UP NEXTCardinals: RHP John Gant (3-4, 4.12 ERA) is slated to start Wednesday’s series finale and will be looking to bounce back after allowing six runs in four innings at Pittsburgh in his last start.Marlins: RHP Trevor Richards (3-6, 3.92) is 1-1 with a 0.76 ERA in his last four starts. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brad Keller kept up his recent pitching surge with another strong outing.Keller gave up a home run to the first batter of the game — Cedric Mullins — but quickly settled in to pitch eight strong innings in the Kansas City Royals‘ 9-2 win over the Baltimore Royals in a matchup of the teams with the worst records in the majors.“Every time he takes the mound, you expect him to keep you in the ballgame,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He just did what he does so well. He keeps the ball on the ground and did a nice job doing that.”Keller (7-5) gave up two runs and four hits with two walks and four strikeouts to improve to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in his last four starts.“I was just trying to get in a groove and throw strikes,” he said. “I just made a mistake (to Mullins). You’ve got a long game after that. You’ve got to flush it and lock it back in.Ryan O’Hearn homered among his three hits and drove in four runs, Whit Merrifield scored three runs, and Hunter Dozier and Cam Gallagher also went deep to help the Royals win for the fifth time in six games on their current homestand.“They’re not exactly household names yet, O’Hearn, Dozier and Gallagher,” Yost said. “But they’re doing okay. You watch Dozier who looks totally comfortable now. O’Hearn has always been a guy with a lot of confidence that he can hit. It’s nice to see Cam get off to a good start too.”With the scored tied 1-1 in the fourth, Andrew Cashner (4-13) gave up a sacrifice fly to Merrifield after loading the bases on two walks and a single. Dozier led off the fifth inning with a 423-foot home run to left field to make it 3-1.“(Cashner) was having trouble gripping his breaking ball,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “He never really got a feel for it. He’d throw a couple and it’s just hard to go through that many hitters http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-mike-foltynewicz-jersey , especially lefthanders, without a feel for a breaking ball. I think the last home run is the one that’s going to stick with him. He could have come out of that with three runs, not being able to do the things he normally does.”The Orioles pulled within a run in the sixth when Mullins led off with a double just beyond the reach of Dozier at third, advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on Trey Mancini’s sacrifice fly to the wall in right.The Royals answered in the bottom of the inning as Gallagher hit his first home run of the season, ending Cashner’s night.“I think he was trying to get it out over the plate but it backed up on him,” said Gallagher, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha Friday after the Royals traded catcher Drew Butera to the Colorado Rockies. “He just left it middle-in and I was able to get a good swing on it.”Cashner, who has given up a career-high 21 homers, allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out one.“That was probably some of the worst stuff I’ve carried into a game,” Cashner said. “My sinker was not there tonight. (My) offspeed pitches were not there. (I) didn’t really command anything for a strike.”O’Hearn added a two-run single off Yefry Ramirez later in the sixth to push Kansas City’s lead to 6-2. Dozier’s RBI single in the eighth drove in Merrifield for his third run scored of the game, and O’Hearn added a two-run homer off Ryan Meisinger to cap the scoring.TRANSACTIONSOrioles: OF Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. … RHP Jhan Marinez was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list (right hamstring strain). He cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Norfolk. … OF Craig Gentry was designated for assignment.Royals: Butera was traded to the Colorado Rockies for LHP Jerry Vasto, who was assigned to Triple-A Omaha. … OF Brian Goodwin was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: OF Mullins, who missed Wednesday’s game with a hip injury, was back in the lineup in the leadoff spot. “I’m feeling good,” he said prior to Friday’s game. “I’m excited to get back out. I’ve been with the trainers; we’ve had some intense treatment going on, but I feel really good.”Royals: C Salvador Perez was held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons with a mild strain of his left thumb. Perez, who missed Wednesday’s game against Detroit, hurt the thumb on Tuesday when he lost his grip on the bat during a swing against the Tigers. Manager Ned Yost said Perez could have caught Friday, but swinging would be difficult. Perez was replaced in the lineup by Gallagher.UP NEXTOrioles RHP Dylan Bundy (7-13, 5.37 ERA) will face another Royals rookie pitcher as RHP Heath Fillmyer (2-1, 4.21) takes the mound for Kansas City. Fillmyer will make his first career start against the Orioles. Bundy is 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA all-time against Kansas City, including one start this year May 8 in Baltimore, in which he gave up seven earned runs without recording an out.
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