ST. LEWIS — On a day like Sunday, when the starting pitchers were strong, hitters were always churning and chewing on opponents, and slugging home runs by Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman, and that’s what the Cardinals are doing right now. But it’s what makes them believe they’re successful. Their electrifying second half run.
But the Cardinals always face a harsh reality, just as rain later in the day only dampened their 8-4 victory over the Nationals. Even after Sunday’s stellar performance and series victory over the rebuilding Nationals, the Redbirds are still bottom of the NL Central, 11 1/2 games behind the leader, on Aug. 1. I’m contemplating whether I’ll be a buyer or a seller in MLB today. Trading deadline.
The Cardinals dominated the NL Central as Jack Flaherty threw three-hit baseballs in six innings, Goldschmidt and Gorman hit 443-foot and Gorman homers respectively, and the offense had 13 hits. It looked like the team that was supposed to be. Than a game where he played one game where he entered a game with a winning record (he went 2-1 against ATL on April 3).
The Cardinals hope this will be the start of a second-half breakthrough that will allow them to hunt down the leading four teams in the NL Central.
“Just play well every day and rack up a lot of wins,” Goldschmidt said. His 443-foot blast nearly over the turf curb in front of the center hitter for his tie for longest home run. season. “If we can do that, we have a chance, if we don’t, we don’t. Let’s see what happens.”
Whether the Cardinals can inspire hope between now and the trade deadline could have a direct impact on Flaherty, who was a first-round draft pick in 2014 and first joined the starting staff in 2017. There is As Flaherty held the Knotts to three hits, three RBIs and three runs, he walked for his fourth straight win.
He could be an attractive player for a team heading into the playoffs and will be a free agent after the season, so if the Cardinals turn seller, Flaherty could be traded before the deadline. Flaherty said his focus on Sunday was to continue the momentum he had built over the past three weeks and he never thought it would be his last start for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. emphasized.
“So maybe a few days in between [starts]” Flaherty said when asked if he was thinking about the possibility of being traded. “My job is to get ready for the next start. You know, it’s always fun.”
The Cardinals could use their rich history of success in the second half to build more games, like Game 2 on Saturday (9 points, season-best 17 hits) and Sunday (8 points, 13 hits). If possible, it could be an advantage. Since 2000, the Cardinals’ winning percentage after the All-Star break is .580, second only to the Yankees (.589) in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won 19 of 22 seasons since the All-Star break since 2000. In the 2021 season, the Cardinals famously recorded 17 consecutive wins and contributed to the playoffs.
Albert Pujols, who hit 703 career home runs last season, led the Cardinals to a 43-25 record to overtake rival Brewers and take the NL Central title.
“I don’t know if there is an answer, [why the Cardinals have been a strong second-half team] Other than the fact that nothing has changed between the first half and the second half, in terms of approach or intent, or in terms of attention and attention to detail,” said director Oliver Marmol. “We take great pride in finishing well and we have achieved it. We will be testing this year and I am looking forward to it.”
Marmol, who will start Miles Mikolas against the Marlins on Monday after right-hander Myles Mikolas pitched three scoreless innings on Friday before the game was suspended due to rain, said the pitching staff will be key going forward. I’m thinking of grabbing
Marmol, whose pitching staff had the 15th-best ERA (4.44) in MLB over the past 15 days, said, “I’m feeling really good offensively. If I keep being a good starter, I have a chance. ‘ said. “They did a better job giving us a chance.”
