Cardinals' Matt Carpenter bunts for double vs. Marlins

June 18 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter turned a bunt into a double during a shutout of the Miami Marlins.

Carpenter's crafty two-bagger came in the bottom of the fifth inning during the 5-0 win Monday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals held a 1-0 lead entering the bottom of the frame.

Marlins starter Elieser Hernandez began the inning by striking out Harrison Bader and Miles Mikolas. The Marlins' right-handed pitcher then worked a 1-1 count against Carpenter. He issued a four-seam fastball for his 1-1 offering.

Carpenter flashed a bunt and knocked the pitch between second and third base. The ball rolled past Hernandez and kept going through the infield dirt until reaching the grass. Carpenter got to second base safely, without needing to slide.

"Any time that there is not somebody over there with less than two strikes, I bunt every single time," Carpenter told reporters, according to MLB.com. "I will always go for that hit."

Paul DeJong reached base on a fielding error in the next at-bat, allowing Carpenter to score. Dexter Fowler plated Carpenter and DeJong with a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning for the final runs of the game.

Carpenter was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI and a strikeout out of the leadoff spot. The veteran third baseman gave St. Louis its initial lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the third inning. He is hitting .227 this season. The Cardinals host the Marlins again at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in St. Louis.