ST. LOUIS -- Slated to make his first start of the series on Wednesday, Matt Adams was instead a late-afternoon scratch after he was unable to shake some left shoulder soreness that had been bothering him since waking up. The Cardinals plan to have Adams re-evaluated on Thursday to determine his availability for the team's series opener against the Cubs in Chicago.
Adams' removal from the lineup forced some defensive shuffling by others. Matt Carpenter, in line to make his first start at third base in more than two months, instead shifted to first base, a position at which he's made 35 career starts. Jhonny Peralta entered to play third.
Adams is 1-for-6 on this homestand, though nine of his last 13 hits have been for extra bases. 
Worth noting
• The Cardinals, 27-33 at Busch Stadium this season, continue to explore various ways to alter their pregame preparation in an effort to address those home woes. On Wednesday, players were given a later-than-usual report time, and the club opted not to take on-field batting practice. Manager Mike Matheny said he and general manager John Mozeliak had a conversation about the home struggles yet again earlier that day.
• There has been little update on Trevor Rosenthal's progress this week other than both Mozeliak and Matheny noting that Rosenthal remains optimistic that he'll return to pitch this season. Rosenthal, out with inflammation in his rotator cuff, was expected to begin a throwing program this week but has yet to do so. It was not known whether the righty reliever will accompany the team on its upcoming road trip or continue his rehab work at home.
• Stephen Piscotty, who has hit .157 since July 26, was kept out of the lineup so that he could work on some mechanical issues with his swing in the batting cages. This represents the first extended slump of Piscotty's career.
"You talk about adjustments, that's what a young player does," Matheny said. "Stephen wants to get to work. He's going to be fine. He's going to get through this and be better in the long run. In the meantime, he's checking off some things that he doesn't want to do the next time this comes up, because this will come up again."