Commish’s Offerings 4-3-2023
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in Alton, Illinois
Cardinals Expanded Lineup Pays Off in First Weekend
St Louis-
Manager Oliver Marmol spoke often this spring of how deep he thought the Cardinals' lineup would be. Last season, he thought he was going to have that but it didn't work out that way.
After Nolan Arenado, the cleanup hitter, the lineup was highly inconsistent from Nos. 5-9 last season.
But, in the first three games this season,the Nos. 5-9 hitters in the lineup went 22 for 58 (.379) with five homers and 10 runs batted in.
Six of those RBIs and two of the homers, both hit on Sunday in a 9-4 series-clinching win over Toronto, were from Nolan Gorman, who found himself overmatched at points last year as he finished at .226, albeit with 14 home runs, all against right-handed pitching. .
Gorman spent much of his off-season trying to learn how to handle the high fastball better but he also has been waiting on the breaking ball early in the season. His 446-foot homer, the third in the first inning, capped a four-run first on Sunday.
Gorman, who has hit fifth, sixth and seventh in the first three games, is four for nine with six runs batted in, besides walking four times. “He had a really good spring, he's patient—and he's doing a lot of damage,” said Marmol.
Willson Contreras, whom the Cardinals signed specifically to hit fifth behind Paul Goldschmidt and Arenado, had two-hit games in both of the games he played this weekend, sandwiching a game missed with a right knee contusion.
Rookie Jordan Walker, hitting seventh and eighth, had four hits in the third games and No. 9 batsman Tommy Edman also had four hits in the three games. Dylan Carlson made just one start but had three hits, getting three singles on Sunday, as he batted eighth.
Tyler O'Neill, batting sixth on opening day, homered in the season lid-lifter for a record-tying fourth season in a row and he added a single in his second game before getting most of the day off Sunday. There hadn't been as much concern about the top of the lineup with Brendan Donovan, one of the league's top rookies last season, hitting ahead of World Baseball Classic hero Lars Nootbaar and then Goldschmidt and Arenado.
“There are no breaks (in the lineup),” Donovan told reporters Sunday after the Cardinals had won the series from Toronto, ignited by his first-pitch homer off Chris Bassitt.
Marmol added, “It's a pretty scary lineup. You can give guys days off and it doesn't matter because the guys who are coming in are very productive, as well.”
For instance, Alec Burleson and Carlson both had three-hit games on Sunday as reserves, with Burleson's home run his first at Busch Stadium two pitches after Donovan's leadoff drive.
Donovan and Gorman have been teammates at several levels in the system and Donovan said to reporters on Sunday, “He can really, really hit. It's just cool to see him make some adjustments and cool to see the success he's having now.”
Most designated hitters are veterans and not 22-year-old players. Gorman easily could be on the field at second base, where he played often last year, but Donovan, a super sub in 2022, has taken control of the second-base job and hasn't been needed to fill in the outfield with the addition of rookie Walker and with Nootbaar, O'Neill, Carlson and Burleson also available.
While Arenado was gone to the WBC, though, the Cardinals discovered that Gorman was strong enough defensively to handle third base, his natural position, when Arenado needs a day off from the field.
Whether Gorman remains in the lineup against left-handed pitching remains to be seen. The spring training blueprint seemed to be that right-handed-hitting Juan Yepez would get the starts against left-handers but the Cardinals haven't seen any of those this year.
Last year, the left-handed-hitting Gorman was protected against left-handed pitching, getting only 19 at-bats. He had four hits, two of them doubles, and eight strikeouts.
But Yepez has been sent to the minors. Gorman, who was sent to Class AAA Memphis for a couple of weeks at the end of last season, may at least get a chance against some left-handers early in the season.
“We're seeing a player with a lot more confidence than we saw at the end of (last) year,” Marmol said.
