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Cardinals designate Jhonny Peralta for assignment, make coaching changes

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Kurkjian surprised by Cardinals' struggles (1:03)

Tim Kurkjian breaks down the reasons for St. Louis' difficult start to the season. (1:03)

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak announced a series of coaching changes and player reassignments Friday.

Veteran third baseman Jhonny Peralta has been designated for assignment, and third-base coach Chris Maloney has been reassigned within the organization. Mike Shildt will take over for Maloney.

In addition, assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller will take a leave of absence, and Ron "Pop" Warner and Mark Budaska have been reassigned from the minor leagues to the coaching staff.

The Cardinals snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-2 win on Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.

"This is not how we envisioned things," Mozeliak said. "The season has not gone like we had hoped."

Mozeliak also announced that second baseman Kolten Wong has been activated from the disabled list. Wong started against the Phillies after missing 13 games with a left elbow strain.

Peralta, in the final year of his contract, was batting .204 with no RBIs or extra-base hits in 54 at-bats this season.

The Cardinals are hoping to score more after averaging a paltry 2.75 runs per game in June. Overall, manager Mike Matheny's club was second-to-last in the NL in runs going into the weekend.

"This is all a direct result of how we've been playing," third baseman Jedd Gyorko said. "We've got to play better. If we're 10 games over .500 and in first place, these changes aren't going to happen. We're not where we want to be but we know we can turn it around."

Added shortstop Aledmys Diaz: "Everybody here is ashamed the way we played the last couple of weeks. No excuse."

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.