THE REDBIRD REVIEW
Tuesday’s crisp 3-0 victory over the Phillies was a model that demonstrated how the Cardinals can win more games in 2024. And this fine presentation offered a direct contrast to their calamity-plagued 2023.
1. Better starting pitching than last year.
2. Better relief pitching than last year.
3. Better defense than last year.
4. Better baserunning than last year.
5. Better situational hitting than last year.
I would add some other aspects of performance that aren’t directly quantifiable. Playing harder and smarter and with more awareness. Staying positive. Competing with more purpose. Staying mentally tough in a tight game.
The Cardinals (obviously) weren’t perfect in battling the Phillies in a game that could have gone either way. And I’m not suggesting that we should frame this as a piece of art. It would be nice for your favorite team to win a lot of games by attacking early, scoring a bunch of runs, seizing a comfortable lead, and have their pitchers tuck away the victory with a methodical, routine finish.
Ah, but baseball isn’t like that. Not all of the time. Not with considerable regularity. On many nights, baseball makes you work for it, grind it out, handle the pressure, compete like madmen to win, smile, and to get to the handshake line after the 27th out.
– Baseball makes you beat the other team’s ace – Philly’s Zack Wheeler in this instance – when he’s locked in and dealing. Baseball makes you find a way to get the necessary runs despite going 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position – which the Redbirds did Tuesday night.
– Baseball requires a No. 1 starter to perform to the expected standard. And Sonny Gray pitched up to his designation by splicing together five sharp innings. He conceded five hits while refusing to gift the Phillies with a walk. Gray subdued the Phillies by throwing first-pitch strikes to get the advantage in the coun. He pounded the strike zone. He struck out five. He induced seven ground balls – two of which were converted into crucial double plays. Gray vacated the injured list and entered the regular-season fray with a bang. It was a helluva performance. The Cardinals didn’t have Gray last season. They didn’t have a single starter that could match his standards. And now they do.
– Baseball demands that your bullpen comes through over four innings in relief of your ace. Gray was on a pitch count, and reached his limit (65) after getting his 14th and 15th outs on a double-play grounder that closed the fifth inning. There’s your new No. 1 starter, Cardinals fans.
– Gray’s premiere showcase could have been ruined by an unfortunate bullpen blowup, but Gray’s teammates wouldn’t allow that to happen.The procession of Matthew Liberatore, Andrew Kittredge, JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley fired through four scoreless innings. These dudes were enforcers. They took on 17 Philadelphia batters and struck out eight for a 47 percent strikeout rate. What a formidable performance.
– Baseball does not reward terrible defense, a reality that we witnessed – with considerable sickness – in 2023. But early in 2024, the St. Louis defense continued to be an asset, turning three double plays to repel the Phillies.
– Baseball frowns upon an offense that doesn’t back the pitchers with ample support. And baseball doesn’t care that you have to overcome the other team’s best starter. Nolan Gorman’s two-out homer gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the fourth. The other scoring came in the fifth on a sequence that played out like this: leadoff single by Alec Burleson, double by Masyn Winn, an RBI sac fly from Victor Scott II, and an RBI groundout by Brendan Donovan.
– Baseball insists that your lineup gets contributions from all places in the lineup, and it doesn’t matter if it’s high-paid stars or their younger baseball siblings. Someone must step up and get the damn thing done. On Tuesday it was two rookies (Winn + Scott), a…
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