ST. LOUIS – It was that kind of night.
The kind of night when every appetizer leaves the stadium with a hit – including the pitcher – and five do so with multiple beats; the kind of night when your big boppers are all gardening, your pinch gets two innings in a row; a night when your offense lures a position player up the hill, when mistakes that start, and broken bats fall for hits and slumps subside in great ways.
It was the kind of night when the Cardinals were able to pull off a victory and drove a ninth fifth innings on nine runs en route to a 14-3 throne from the Nationals Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
“This is really, effectively, exactly how we expect to compete offensively,” said manager Mike Shildt.
As part of the framework, 14 cardinals batted, three made a turn, Justin Williams collected three RBIs with two singles and none of the nine base kicks went for extra dogs. What’s more, those who recorded the first two results did so while running.
‘This is exactly what we expect [the offense], ”Shildt said. ‘It’s a very wide way to compete regardless of the situation. You saw everything we want tonight. ‘
The ninth-place finish was the Cardinals’ highest single-innings output since July 24, 2019, when they did the same in Pittsburgh.
Truth be told, it was not a turn of necessity. The Cardinals were already 5-1 at the point when the blowout was in full swing, which was relatively comfortable thanks to five one-runs from Jack Flaherty, while Paul Goldschmidt – the 250th of his career – was at home, and Nolan Arenado won the St. Louis count against Stephen Strasburg opened.
How many times can the duo be in the same game this season?
“Hopefully,” Goldschmidt said, “we can do it regularly this year.”
But their long balls are just the basis for a ceremony.
Matt Carpenter – about whom Goldschmidt said he had not “seen such an accident” all my life, hit the hit no. 1 of 2021. Hit no. 2, Tuesday, traveled 384 feet and pulled up into the air, but apparently floating dirt in the right corner.
‘Oh woe,’ says Shildt, ‘it’s just like,’ Just stay fair. Please, just stay fair. ‘”
“I do my inner Carlton Fisk to try and keep the ball straight,” Carpenter said.
It did so by dipping off the dirty pole. The 12,714 at Busch Stadium broke out due to their 11-year franchise backbone. Carpenter obliges with a curtain call.
“It definitely feels good,” Carpenter said. “You know, that you do not have a lot of success and a few difficult years in a row, to be able to have such a moment is definitely a good feeling.”
It was part of the good feelings around St. The big boppers started off, the bait in Flaherty continued to show a return to form – although more work is needed for both field scores and quick assignment, he said – and the bottom half of the lineup piled up: Williams scratched his first three careers RBIs over 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 few runs in his first start of the season.
In short, it was an evening in which the Cardinals offense performed at its peak, something that so far has been 11 games more or less in the 2021 season.
“A lot of positive aspects of our team,” Goldschmidt said, “and if you do, you’ll find a way to score.”