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Cards trounce Phils to conclude four-game series

May 28, 2012 - 12:15 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Yadier Molina hit a grand slam before an early exit due to dehydration, and Carlos Beltran added a three-run home run as St. Louis ripped Philadelphia, 8-3, in the finale of a four-game set from a blistering-hot Busch Stadium.

Matt Adams launched his first career homer for the Cardinals, who salvaged a game in the series. Adam Wainwright (4-5) scattered seven hits and one run over six innings.

Juan Pierre totaled three hits and drove in two runs for the Phillies, whose four-game win streak came to a halt. Roy Halladay (4-5) lasted just two innings thanks to right shoulder soreness, charged with four hits and four runs and a walk.

"Of course I'm worried. Any time you have to fill a spot, it concerns me," said Phils manager Charlie Manuel on the possibility of losing one of his aces. "If we have to do it, we'll get somebody and fill it. The games will go on."

Halladay's first-inning struggles haunted him again on a day where game-time temperatures were well into the 90s.

Skip Schumaker and Matt Holliday hit consecutive one-out singles, a groundout advanced both, David Freese walked to load the bases and Molina barely cleared the wall in center to make it 4-0.

Mike Fontenot started the visitors' third with a single, was sacrificed to second, moved up on a Jimmy Rollins grounder and scored on a Pierre base hit.

Phils center fielder Shane Victorino robbed Adams of a homer to record the second out of the fourth, but the Cards moved ahead 7-1 in the fifth as Rafael Furcal walked, Schumaker singled and Beltran hit a three-run shot to right.

Molina exited in the midst of his fifth-inning at-bat, a casualty of the heat and humidity which is notorious in the region at this time of year.

"I was seeing three pitchers at once," Molina admitted. "That wasn't a good feeling. I felt kind of dizzy. This is the first time something like this has happened and I'm glad it wasn't any worse."

Adams victimized Chad Qualls for his first career homer, a line-shot to right for an 8-1 game.

A Victorino groundout scored Pierre in the eighth and Pierre singled home Freddy Galvis in the ninth.

Game Notes

Beltran recorded his fourth game of at least three RBI this season, and first since driving in four on May 11 against Atlanta. He has 26 career longballs against Philadelphia, third-highest among active players (Chipper Jones, 47 and Andruw Jones, 38)...Molina's slam was the third in his career and first since September 6, 2010 at Milwaukee...The Phillies haven't produced a four- game sweep in St. Louis since 1913...Both clubs are in action on Monday as the Cardinals begin a 10-game trip in Atlanta and the Phils head to Flushing to take on the Mets.