When describing what he’s learned about himself as a hitter when batting from the leadoff spot of a lineup during his time in the majors and minors, Cardinals rookie Masyn Winn says it all begins with the first pitch he sees.
“I think up here, I’ve learned that I need to stop swinging at the first pitch of the game,” Winn said. “I’m oh-for-one with a foul ball and a pop-up to the first baseman. Once I figure out how to take a couple of pitches and see some, it’ll be good.”
Then there’s the factor of what being a tone-setter does for Winn that may not appear in a box score.
“I think it’s just really good for confidence,” Winn added. “I get up there in the first inning (and) they want me there. They want me to catch the barrel. They want me to get on base for the guys behind me. That just feeds confidence, and it gets me going.”
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The 23-year-old was slated for another leadoff opportunity on Friday in Ƶ’ first game of 2024 against the Chicago Cubs, but that game was postponed because of poor weather. Winn has started at leadoff in two games — May 14 against the Angels and on Wednesday in the series finale against the Orioles.
There has been a theme to it.
“I think it gives (Brendan Donovan) a little bit of a breather whenever we’re facing a lefty,” Winn said. “I think that’s the main reason why I’ve been leading off is just because it’s a lefty. But I love it. I always loved it in the minor leagues. You get a lot of at-bats. It gives you more chances to get a hit or work a walk. Just do something to help the team out.”
On the season, Winn has batted .295 with a .348 on-base percentage and has gone .286/.352/.510 slash line in 49 at-bats against lefties after initially “struggling a little bit” against them.
Winn is 10-for-26 (.385) with two home runs, and a .385 on-base percentage against southpaws during May, per Statcast. His two home runs were his first two of the year and only two at the start of the weekend.
Before that stretch, Winn hit .174 in 23 at-bats against lefties in March and April and had a .296 on-base percentage. Those improvements have come despite having a similar hard-hit rate (from 37.5% in March and April to 36.4%) and a 3.8% increase in whiff rate vs. lefties in the season’s second month.
“I honestly have no idea,” Winn said of what has changed. “I had the same confidence going up against them while I was oh-for against them and what I am now. I think it’s just more so just finding it. Stuff clicking at the right time. We call it the law of averages. Everything will even itself out.”
It may have been just a matter of time.
“I knew I was going to start tagging lefties a little bit more because I still saw them really well,” Winn said. “I just wasn’t in the right spot physically to hit them. I think just a couple of swing changes helped me out a little bit and my confidence never wavered against them.”
Friday’s game postponed
The Cardinals were to face the Cubs for the first time this season and the first time since they dismantled their 2023 roster via trade.
They just have to wait another day.
Poor weather and the threat of thunderstorms throughout the night forced the postponement of Friday night’s series opener at Busch Stadium. The game will be rescheduled for the evening half of a doubleheader on July 13 at Busch Stadium. Tickets for Friday’s game will be good for the 7:15 p.m. game that day.
The teams are scheduled to complete this weekend series with nationally televised games Saturday and Sunday nights.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.77 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals on Saturday. The team originally did not have a starter named for that game, so the rainout buys them an extra day and allows them to skip the fifth starter spot, if they choose.
Middleton, Gallegos
Right-hander Keynan Middleton (forearm flexor strain) is expected to be reevaluated on Saturday after experiencing “soreness” following back-to-back relief outings on Wednesday and Thursday during his rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield. Marmol noted that Middleton originally felt “good” after the outings but had the soreness on Friday.
Right-hander Giovanny Gallegos will throw a live batting practice session at Busch Stadium on Saturday. Since going on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement on May 6, Gallegos has thrown three bullpen sessions. Before Gallegos’s third bullpen on Tuesday, Marmol said a rehab assignment for Gallegos could be a possibility.