Cardinals take stock: Some players say they bear responsibility for Mike Matheny’s firing.

As the Cardinals took stock of their situation a day after the firing of manager Mike Matheny, some players said they bear some responsibility for Matheny’s dismissal.

Matheny was fired Saturday night after an 8-2 loss to the last-place Reds. The Cardinals entered Sunday’s game one game over .500 and 7½ games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs and are in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight season for the first time since 1999.

Hitting coaches John Mabry and Bill Mueller, a former Giants infielder, were also let go.

“We all feel bad for Mike, and ultimately it comes down on us,” infielder Jedd Gyorko said Sunday. “We’re the guys that go out there and play and perform. I feel like we haven’t done that good enough.”

Bench coach Mike Shildt will be interim manager for the rest of the season. He won his debut Sunday, 6-4 over the Reds.

“As a player, for me, it’s like, ‘What could I have done better to keep this from happening?’ ” reliever Greg Holland said. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily fair. It’s just the way the world works.”

Matheny, 47, was a Gold Glove-winning catcher for St. Louis from 2000 through ’04 before spending his final two seasons as a player with the Giants. As a manager, he had a 591-474 record in his six-plus seasons, reaching the postseason in each of his first four years while compiling a 375-273 mark. The 2013 team lost the World Series to Boston.

Briefly: Pittsburgh demoted outfielder Austin Meadows to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalled right-handed reliever Tanner Anderson . ... Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said said he’s bracing for an extended absence for catcher Wilson Ramos because of the pulled left hamstring that will cost him his first starting assignment at the All-Star Game . ... The Blue Jays put center fielder Kevin Pillar on the 10-day disabled list with a collarbone joint injury suffered making a diving catch and rolling over Saturday . ... There is “concern” that Pittsburgh catcher Francisco Cervelli (post-concussive symptoms) might have to move out from behind the plate, general manager Neal Huntington said. Cervelli went on the seven-day disabled list Saturday without a timetable for his return . ... St. Louis right fielder Harrison Bader suffered a knee injury while running out a hit to right field . ... Washington righthander Stephen Strasburg (right shoulder inflammation) pitched 52⁄3 innings in a rehab start for Class A Potomac. He allowed three runs and struck out seven . ... The Red Sox placed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the 10-day disabled list with a “serious” right ankle sprain but said he won’t need surgery.