PHILADELPHIA -- Looking for an offensive spark, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt swapped Paul DeJong and Paul Goldschmidt in the batting order for Thursday's series finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Goldschmidt was hitting in the No. 3 hole for the first time this season, while DeJong moved up to the second spot. Kolten Wong was batting leadoff for just the fourth time this season.

The tweaks came with the Cardinals averaging just 4.4 runs per game in May, entering Thursday. That's more than a full run lower than they averaged in March and April, when they put up 5.5 runs per game, second most in the National League.

"Just flipping the Paulies to give it a different look," Shildt said. "I think they're both pretty interchangeable anyway, but we'll interchange them and see what happens."

Shildt is hoping that the new-look lineup will present more RBI opportunities for Goldschmidt, who is hitting .344 with a .459 on-base percentage over the past 17 games, during which the Cards are just 5-12.

Goldschmidt entered Thursday with just 43 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season, including only 14 with a runner on third base. That's part of the reason he began the day on pace for just 76 RBIs, which would be the second-lowest total in any of his eight full seasons, behind only his 69-RBI campaign in 2014 when he was limited to 109 games.

At the same time, Goldschmidt is on pace to score 108 runs, which would be the second most in any season of his career.

"You're kind of picking your opportunities for guys to have an opportunity to drive in runs," Shildt said. "He's scoring runs, but we recognize he's a proven run producer driving in runs. We're getting value out of him from the run-scoring standpoint, but now we're going to try to give him an opportunity for both."

Though Thursday marked Goldschmidt's first start in the three-hole this season, he's certainly no stranger to it. That was his primary spot in the batting order with Arizona, making 724 career starts in the No. 3 spot for the D-backs. Goldschmidt has just 100 career starts hitting second, 53 of them this season.

Molina still not ready
Yadier Molina was out of the lineup for a second straight game, with Shildt saying his catcher remains "day to day."

Molina is dealing with a bruise on his right hand between his thumb and index finger. Though there's no structural damage, the location of the injury makes it difficult for him to properly grip the bat and finish his swing.

"The updates are moving in the right direction, but it's still an issue that's going to keep him from competing the way he needs to compete," Shildt said. "Give him one more time to hopefully get it behind him."

Shildt said there's not a specific target for Molina's return to the lineup, as it simply depends on how the hand feels when he reports to the clubhouse each day.

Matt Wieters was making his second straight start behind the plate, after homering in Wednesday's 11-4 loss.