Playing the Cincinnati Reds is a great thing. Signed, the Cardinals.
When you beat a division opponent seven straight times and maintain a dominance over them from the end of one season to the next, it's a big deal. The Reds may be the new punching bag of the National League Central Division, but wins against them shouldn't be taken lightly. The Cardinals simply took care of business on Sunday in completing the sweep.
Here are five things to take away from the 9-2 win that put the Cardinals at 13-8 on the season.
5) The bullpen completed two scoreless innings without allowing a single runner. I'm not sure that's happened yet in 2018, but it feels worth mentioning. Bud "Call Me Cy" Norris and Greg Holland threw a couple of clean innings, with the latter being more impressive. Holland is warming up to the closer role like I would to a cup of decaf cup of coffee, but Sunday was a step in the right direction.
4) Kolten Wong may have gotten his shipment of bats for 2018 from Mr. Freeze, but the home run he hit was his first extra base hit of the season. I was Uber driving around downtown St. Louis when he hit it and I could have sworn a large boulder crashed onto Clark avenue. Wong also drew a walk and struck out, leaving his average at .146. Like Holland, baby steps count.
3) Harrison Bader continues to earn playing time, collecting a couple hits and running all over creation again. The young man can play all three outfield positions at an above average level while collecting hits. Some may project him to be a fourth outfielder, but I think Bader is just getting started here. Let's not lay down predictions after a couple months.
2) Miles Mikolas' curveball is sexy. That's all. The guy is 3-0 and isn't a fan of walking batters. Mikolas has come back from finding himself overseas and dazzled in his debut. He likes throwing first pitch strikes, getting ahead of hitters, and doing it quickly. I appreciate a pitcher who doesn't have to solve weird science in his head on the mound in between pitches.
1) Paul DeJong may strike out 200 times, which is fine as long as he hits 40 homers. DeJong put some distance in Sunday's win with a late home run, stretching a 3-2 lead to 5-2. The guy has legit power that is quickly budding less than a year into his Major League career. For some reasons, strikeouts are frowned upon no matter what a hitter does the rest of the time. Thirty percent strikeout rates aren't promoted in college, but DeJong's power plays.
In other news, Yadier Molina remains a hit machine, Tyler O' Neill has a MLB RBI, and Matt Carpenter didn't suddenly turn into a different hitter in the leadoff spot.
The Cardinals are 11-4 against the Central Division on the season, which should be appreciated after struggling to beat these same teams the past two years. Take it instead of leaving it up for discussion.
The New York Mets come into town tomorrow before a road trip kicking off in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals are in first place on April 23. Feel good about that while wanting more.
Thanks for reading.
