Shildt’s success earns him the job

ST. LOUIS — Thrilled with the results, the Cardinals thanked Mike Shildt.

The Cardinals took the interim tag off Shildt’s title and promoted him to full-time manager Tuesday, a reward for steering the team back into postseason contention after the firing of Mike Matheny.

“It made sense to do it now,” Cardinals President John Mozeliak said. “Everything is going well, and more importantly momentum is building behind our players.”

The Cardinals have gone 26-12 since July 15, including a 19-5 mark in August. They now hold the top spot in the NL wild-card standings.

“I have been given a lot of credit for what’s happened in the past six weeks,” Shildt said. “I appreciate it, but I cannot accept it. The players make the plays and run the bases. They are a special group and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

The Cardinals were 47-46 when Matheny was fired a day before the All-Star break. Since then, they have the most wins in the majors. They’ve also cut their deficit in the NL Central from 71⁄2 games to 41⁄2 behind the division- leading Cubs.

The Cardinals had won five of their last six before playing the Pirates on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium and have won each of their last nine series.

The 50-year-old Shildt, who never played in the minors or majors, joined the Cardinals organization in 2004. He spent most of that time managing in the minors and was a member of the major-league coaching staff the last two seasons.

The Cardinals missed the playoffs the last two years. Matheny reached the postseason in his first four years after following Tony La Russa.