SAN DIEGO 鈥 The eighth batter of the ninth inning, Victor Scott II came to the plate knowing that if he could find a way on base, the Cardinals would bring the tying run up at the end of another trying day offensively.
Against San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez, Scott simplified his approach: hunt the fastball, meet it with a direct swing and aim up the middle.
鈥淚 kind of had this feeling I was going to get up and be able to make a day out of something that was a tough go at the plate,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淚 was trying to stay short to that ball. I鈥檝e got to stay short to Suarez鈥檚 heater. Ideally, I try to do that every single time. I鈥檓 trying to learn how to do that and how to be consistent in doing that.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my game,鈥 he added. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the game I need to play.鈥
He鈥檚 not alone.
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In the closing moments of their 7-3 loss to the Padres on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, the Cardinals reconnected with the style of offense they can be and haven鈥檛 been too often in recent games.
As far back as opening weekend, the Cardinals described their brand of at-bats as 鈥渁 damn dogfight,鈥 and for most of Sunday鈥檚 game, they were like much of the past month: less dogfight, more just dogged by inconsistency. Padres starter Dylan Cease was brilliant with his fastball and struck out nine in five innings, but even after the right-hander left the game, the strikeouts kept coming.
The Cardinals struck out 16 times and had only one hit through their first eight innings. They were on the verge of being shut out for a 10th time in 33 games.
Then the parade started. Ivan Herrera roped the Cardinals鈥 second hit of the game 鈥 his second hit of the game 鈥 and started a run of five consecutive Cardinals reaching base. The Cardinals got five hits in the inning, three runs and brought the tying run to the plate. True to his approach, Scott laced a line-drive single off Suarez鈥檚 fastball to load the bases for Masyn Winn. The shortstop lined out to Suarez to end the game.
A loss that spent eight innings highlighting the Cardinals鈥 underlying offensive struggles gave them a brief glimpse in the ninth of how to make their offense more consistent.
鈥淪ome of those guys are fighting to prove that they鈥檙e big leaguers, and that鈥檚 just part of what you鈥檙e going to see,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淭here are going to be ups and downs to it. What we saw in that last inning as far as staying short to the middle and taking what the game is giving you has to be more of the identity of what we do moving forward. We鈥檒l continue to talk through that.
鈥淭hat has to be more of our identity. We have to play that type of game.鈥
Coming out of Thursday鈥檚 trade deadline and into Friday鈥檚 series opener in San Diego, Marmol met individually with every player to talk about the two months ahead.
He also met with the hitters as a group.
One of the culprits in the Cardinals鈥 fade in the standings that prompted this past week鈥檚 sell-off was an offense that could drift in and out of effectiveness. Gone was the steady drumbeat of hits that lifted them to a winning record and optimism in May. It had been replaced by throbs of zeroes. The Cardinals鈥 tumble began with three shutouts in Pittsburgh. Nine of their past 21 losses have been shutouts.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 more guys going through it and figuring out who they can be,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淎nd making adjustments. It鈥檚 something that we鈥檒l have to get better at.鈥
At the same time some of the younger hitters have struggled, cornerstones of the offensive also went quiet. Three everyday players 鈥 Nolan Arenado, Scott and Pedro Pages 鈥 have batting averages of .175 or lower since July 1. Cardinals leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan has provided less spark with a .184 batting average and .268 on-base percentage since representing the Cardinals at the All-Star Game.
As a team, the Cardinals had batted .234 since July 1 entering Monday. The only team with fewer runs than the Cardinals鈥 89 since July 1 are the Pirates with 86. The Cardinals鈥 team on-base percentage of .306 since the start of July ranks behind the Pirates (.289) in the National League and their hosts at Dodger Stadium this week, the Dodgers (.298). Only the Pirates have a lower slugging percentage than the Cardinals鈥 .367.
And that鈥檚 the crux of the Cardinals offense.
They don鈥檛 hit many home runs, they don鈥檛 slug a bunch and the lineup is stocked with inexperienced hitters prone to the oscillating production of youth.
Hence the need for approaches like they had in the ninth.
As hitting coach Brant Brown tells them: collect hits.
鈥淲e鈥檝e shown it before,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 there. Now we just have to be consistent with it.鈥
The Cardinals trailed by seven runs entering the ninth inning.
Herrera singled and Alec Burleson followed with another single. Willson Contreras took a walk rather than swing for the fences to load the bases. The hits kept coming. Nolan Gorman lined a ball up the middle for an RBI. Jordan Walker followed by lacing another RBI single, this one to right field. Marmol detailed how each hitter found that angle where the Cardinals need to exist 鈥 not on the ground, not flying out, but spraying base hits.
Winn dreamed of tying the game, but with two strikes, he shifted to that approach.
He lined the ball up the middle 鈥 only to have Suarez snare it.
鈥淵ou envision yourself tying the game with a homer there, but I got to two strikes and had to battle and put a good swing on it,鈥 Winn said. 鈥淎 lot of fight, man. Guys not giving up, not giving away at-bats.鈥
Said Marmol: 鈥淭he end of the game 鈥 that鈥檚 a learned skill to be able to never give in and figure out a way. They came into the dugout and you鈥檙e down a ton of runs. 鈥楲et鈥檚 figure out a way to get Suarez in this game.鈥 The fact that we were able to do that and put together some really good at-bats 鈥 you do that over time and you can snatch some games.鈥
Do it more over time and the time between shutouts grows and the length of time struggling shrinks. And that鈥檚 the goal of the coming months for the Cardinals鈥 young hitters.
Scott mentioned it Sunday evening before boarding the team bus to Los Angeles. He鈥檚 hit .173 since July 1 and sought the kind of swing he took Sunday to shake free of the funk. It wasn鈥檛 on the ground, and it wasn鈥檛 lobbed into the air. It was a punch up the middle, and the more he does that and the more the Cardinals buy into that approach, the less likely they鈥檒l wait until the ninth for a rally and that it will end with him stranded at first base.
鈥淲hat I did right there I need to be able to take through the rest of the season,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淟ook at that video. Bookmark that thing. And say, OK, this is what I did successfully and I鈥檓 going to keep on trying to do that.鈥
