The St. Louis Cardinals have thrived despite losing their staff ace two weeks ago.
They proved themselves plenty capable of winning without their hottest hitter at the moment, and the NL Central leaders look to continue their surge Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Since two-time 20-game winner Adam Wainwright suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on April 25, the Cardinals (22-7) have won 10 of 13 games as their bullpen has picked up the slack for an adjusting rotation -- their relievers have gone 6-0 with five saves and a 1.24 ERA in that span.
On Friday, manager Mike Matheny said Matt Carpenter would not play this weekend against Pittsburgh due to "extreme fatigue" and an accelerated heart rate, removing the team's leader in homers (five), RBIs (20), runs (23) and extra-base hits (20) from the lineup. St. Louis didn't skip a beat without the third baseman, collecting a season-high seven extra-base hits to open this three-game set with an 8-5 victory, its 10th in 11 games.
Matt Holliday and Kolten Wong belted three-run homers as the duo, along with leadoff hitter Peter Bourjos, went a combined 6 for 14 with four runs scored.
Wong has been a key contributor to the Cardinals' best start in modern history -- he's 13 for 22 with two homers, eight RBIs and a 1.545 OPS while hitting safely in his last six games -- and 6 for 9 with two homers in his last two games against Pittsburgh.
"Hitting in front of Holliday definitely gives me an opportunity to see more fastballs, obviously," said Wong, who's batting .340. "I'm just trying to hold this spot for Carp."
While Wong has delivered some offense, Carlos Martinez (3-0, 3.64 ERA) has tried to help fill the gaping void created by Wainwright's injury. The right-hander struggled for the first time this season on Monday when the Chicago Cubs tagged him for a career-worst seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings, more than doubling his ERA after entering the game with a 1.72 mark.
The Cardinals, though, rallied for a 10-9 win.
"Every day is a lesson," said Martinez, who has a 1.29 ERA on the road, to MLB's official website after that outing. "(Monday) was a little difficult, but I know that I can compete and know that I can be very good."
Pittsburgh (13-16) has dropped six of seven and needs a win to avoid a 10-game deficit to St. Louis after 30 games played.
"You've got to keep playing," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "The season is not going to stop. We did some good things tonight offensively, found some traction there and found some momentum there."
Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 5 for his first back-to-back multihit games this season but still hasn't homered in 23 games dating to April 12. His .219 average is a career low through the first 29 games of a season.
Vance Worley (2-2, 3.90) will try to win for the third time in as many starts at home this year. He allowed a solo homer to Carpenter and three other hits over six innings Sunday in Pittsburgh's 3-2, 14-inning loss.
The right-hander has a 1.54 ERA at home, but those two outings are the only time the Pirates have scored when he's pitched. Worley's 2.10 run support average is among the lowest in the majors.
Worley won't mind Carpenter's absence given he's 6 for 9 with a homer lifetime against him. Jason Heyward, though, is 6 for 14 with a homer.
