SF. LOUIS – It was kind of night.
The kind of night when every beginner leaves the stadium with one blow – including the pitcher – and five do it with several blows; the kind of night your big boppers all go to the yard, your woodpecker gets two bats in one half; a night when your offensive determines a player’s position on the mound, when the errors start the rallies and the broken bats fall for blows and falls are diminished in great ways.
It was the kind of night in which the Cardinals managed to win, leading a fifth inning of nine innings, on the road to a 14-3 birth of the nationals, on Tuesday night, at Busch Stadium.
“This is really exactly how we expect to compete offensively,” said manager Mike Shildt.
As part of that frame, 14 cardinals rose to bats, three walked, Justin Williams collected three RBIs with two singles, and none of the nine base shots went for extra bases. Moreover, those who recorded the first two exits did so while driving on a run.
“It simply came to our notice then [the offense]Shildt said. “This is a great way to be able to compete regardless of the situation. You saw everything we want from crime tonight. ”
The nine places were the biggest single-entry results from the Cardinals since July 24, 2019, when they did the same in Pittsburgh.
True, it was not a necessity. The Cardinals were already 5-1 at the time the explosion was complete, operating relatively easily thanks to the five frames in a single run from Jack Flaherty, while the runs from Paul Goldschmidt – the 250th of his career – and Nolan Arenado opened the St. Louis v. Stephen Strasburg.
How many times could that duo play the same game this season?
“Hopefully,” Goldschmidt said, “we can often do that this year.”
But their long balls only prepared the stage for one of several ceremonies.
Matt Carpenter – about whom Goldschmidt said he had “never seen a bad luck like this my whole life” – hit no. 1 of 2021 Monday, a kindness against change that landed four feet from the home plate. Hit no. 2, on Tuesday, walked 384 feet, rising to the sky, but seemed to be heading to the right corner.
“Oh, my God,” said Shildt, “it’s just like, ‘You’re right. Please stay right. ‘”
“I do my Carlton Fisk inside trying to keep the ball as good as I could,” Carpenter said.
He did it, uncoupling the foul post. The 12,714 at Busch Stadium broke out for their 11-year franchise. Carpenter bound with a curtain call.
“It definitely feels good,” Carpenter said. “You know, not having a lot of success and coming out of a few tough years in a row, being able to have a moment like this is definitely a good feeling.”
It was part of the good feelings around St. Louis, Tuesday night. The big bumpers exploded, the Flaherty ace continued to show a return to form – although more work is needed on both pitch and fastball control, he said – and the bottom half of the line-up added: three career RBIs on two hits from a left, Dylan Carlson with his first multi-hit game of the season and catcher Andrew Knizner going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks in his first start for the season.
In short, it was an evening in which the Cardinals’ offensive took place at its height, which was far from 11 games in the 2021 season.
“A lot of positive things from our team,” Goldschmidt said, “and if you do that, you’ll find a way to score.”