The perfect storm occurred on Saturday at Busch Stadium for the Cardinals and their fans. St. Louis won the game, Albert Pujols hit a home run that didn't harm the outcome, and the Cardinals sealed a series win.
Quietly, the Cardinals have won eight of their last 11 games, gaining ground on the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. They've done all of this while struggling to score runs consistently, and splitting a series with the Miami Marlins, which is kind of like losing a series to Miami.
Here are five things we learned today.
5) Dakota Hudson is Mr. Reliable
He has quietly been the most consistent starter for the Cardinals since May 1. In his last ten starts, the rookie has at least completed five innings and allowed three earned runs or less. In five of those games, he's went six innings and allowed one earned run or less. A guy who was once a question mark is becoming a certainty, getting ground balls and giving his team a chance to win on a consistent basis. He's also 24 years old.
4) Marcell Ozuna is a slugging force
Last year, Ozuna was a groundball machine and weak fly ball-hitting out for so many weeks. In June, he caught fire and finished the season in decent form. Overall, he was a letdown after a torrid 2017 season. 2019 is a different story. Ozuna has 20 home runs and 13 doubles this season with a .520 slugging percentage. Last year, Ozuna finished with 23 home runs, 16 doubles, and a .433 slugging percentage. Ozuna's future in St. Louis is uncertain, but for the time being, he's doing his job. Now, that defense is another story.
3) Paul Goldschmidt is slowly coming alive
Slowly is no lie. Overall in June, Goldschmidt's slash line is an unimpressive .214/.304/.386 with as many strikeouts as hits (15). The power is inconsistent, and the swings can be downright ugly. Overall, the numbers aren't bad, but take away a ferocious April stretch, and he's been a disappointment. However, he had two hits and no strikeouts Saturday, and has collected five hits over the past four games. The Cardinals need Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter to wake up, and do it quick.
2) Jordan Hicks' exit produces a stomach ache no matter what
Mike Shildt can tell me all he wants about Hicks' departure in the ninth inning being nothing serious, and I won't believe a single word. We've seen it before too many times for the repetition in our brain to miss it. Player leaves game, team says it is fine, and the player misses two weeks. The player won't even hit the Injured List, just linger on the bench. If Hicks is hurt, the finally stabilizing bullpen is dealt a big blow. If he is hurt and misses time, hand the ball to Carlos Martinez to close games ... that is if he isn't going to be stretched out to start.
1) The Albert Pujols swing is still sweet
Sure, he's wearing an Angels jersey and putting a dent into a 4-0 game with that swing, but try and tell me you weren't impressed with that majestic seventh inning missile into the seats. Go ahead and try. The man sent a Hudson pitch into the left field stands, commencing a moment eight years in the making and setting off plenty of nostalgia all around St. Louis. People saw that swing and remembered the 445 home runs Pujols hit as a Cardinal. It all came rushing back like a flood of warm memories. Like watching Goodfellas again, you know it may never happen again, but the fact that it happened at least this once matters.
Also, we need more Pujols and Yadier Molina interactions. Can they FaceTime and air those things on Instagram or something? Thanks.
The Cardinals have looked frustrating and out of sorts, yet have won eight of 11 and sit a game out of first place. This team makes no sense again, but let's see if they can take advantage of a door the Cubs are once again leaving open. The softer schedule allows for an extra bite out of this slowly yet surely clicking team. A sweep of the Angels would be a nice finish.
Seeing Pujols go deep and beat him on the same day sure was nice.
Thanks for reading.
