PHILADELPHIA -- The best team in baseball played the worst team in baseball Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, and the final score reflected as much.• Cast your Esurance All-Star ballot for #ASGWorthy players
The Cardinals (44-23) hit three home runs on their way to a 12-4 victory over the Phillies (23-46). Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong each hit two-run home runs in the second inning against Phillies right-hander Phillippe Aumont, who walked seven and lasted just four innings in his season debut and first Major League start. The scoring continued from there for St. Louis.The Phillies have lost 10 of their last 11 games and 22 of their last 27. 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Slump buster: Over their last five games, the Cardinals had been unable to score more than three runs in any contest. But on the back of homers from Molina and Wong, the Cards broke that mark, and they continued to pour it on, including a five-run fifth. Their 12 runs and 16 hits were the most they've amassed in a game all season.Wild, wild Aumont: Aumont simply could not find the strike zone, which has been an issue most of his career. He threw 104 pitches, and only 56 were strikes. He not only walked seven, but he also threw a wild pitch and threw behind Jon Jay in the second inning.Helping the cause: Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons made just as many contributions on offense as he did on defense Friday. He allowed three runs in five innings, all of which came on Ryan Howard's fifth-inning home run, but he counteracted that by crossing the plate three times himself. A career .167 hitter before Friday, the 27-year-old went 2-for-2 with his first career RBI and a walk in three plate appearances, scoring every time he stepped foot on the diamond before Greg Garcia, called up earlier in the day, pinch-hit for him in the sixth.Howard loves St. Louis: Howard always hits Cardinals pitching well, and his good fortune continued in the fifth inning with his three-run home run to right field. Howard has more home runs (21) and RBIs (64) against the Cardinals than against any other non-NL East team.
Nick Suss/MLB.com
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Slump buster: Over their last five games, the Cardinals had been unable to score more than three runs in any contest. But on the back of homers from Molina and Wong, the Cards broke that mark, and they continued to pour it on, including a five-run fifth. Their 12 runs and 16 hits were the most they've amassed in a game all season.Wild, wild Aumont: Aumont simply could not find the strike zone, which has been an issue most of his career. He threw 104 pitches, and only 56 were strikes. He not only walked seven, but he also threw a wild pitch and threw behind Jon Jay in the second inning.Helping the cause: Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons made just as many contributions on offense as he did on defense Friday. He allowed three runs in five innings, all of which came on Ryan Howard's fifth-inning home run, but he counteracted that by crossing the plate three times himself. A career .167 hitter before Friday, the 27-year-old went 2-for-2 with his first career RBI and a walk in three plate appearances, scoring every time he stepped foot on the diamond before Greg Garcia, called up earlier in the day, pinch-hit for him in the sixth.Howard loves St. Louis: Howard always hits Cardinals pitching well, and his good fortune continued in the fifth inning with his three-run home run to right field. Howard has more home runs (21) and RBIs (64) against the Cardinals than against any other non-NL East team.
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