NEW YORK — On the first day of the Cardinals’ past two road series, Brendan Donovan steps in against the pitching machine and turns up the heat.
As opposing pitchers and teams have gotten to know the Gold Glove-winning fielder better and pitch him differently, Donovan has found recently that one way to adjust faster is to face pitches that are even faster. So he and the Cardinals hitting coaches have lowered the pitching machine and raised the speed — so that pitches come up at an angle, and hard.
“I think it was getting back on that velocity,†Donovan said. “Two strikes against (a Twins reliever) and I was still able to get a good swing off on his heater. So, I’m like, ‘All right, I’m not as far off as I thought I was.’â€
He has been mostly on ever since.
As the Cardinals held fast for a 6-5 victory Saturday afternoon against the Yankees at their stadium, Donovan’s fingerprints were all over the box score.
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He drilled the three-run homer in the third inning that gained the Cardinals the lead, and at several points in the game he had a key defensive play to shorten an inning. The only ball Juan Soto or Aaron Judge got in the air against starter Kyle Gibson was a line drive snared by Donovan to keep a run from scoring. In a potentially haywire eighth inning, Donovan coolly collected the groundout to end the mess. In the fourth, with a runner in scoring position, he made an aggressive run in on a ball and a shovel pass to first for a key out.
It was reminiscent of the series a week ago in Minnesota that also included a home run from Donovan and a defensive game that left starter Andre Pallante to marvel: “It felt like Donovan was everywhere they hit the ball.â€
Donovan’s play on defense and improved feeling at the plate corresponds with his relocation in the field. Saturday was the usual left fielder’s 11th consecutive start at second base, and since the Cardinals returned Nolan Gorman to Class AAA Memphis, Donovan has been dubbed the starting second baseman. It’s a return to a position that helped him win the Gold Glove Award and, according to his manager, he did not “miss a beat.â€
“I think it does help knowing where you’re going to be every day,†manager Oliver Marmol said. “Probably goes under the radar, but (he excels) on a lot of balls coming in on them with the quick flip, ones you don’t have any time to do anything else with it. You don’t practice that a ton.â€
The quick grounders he gets.
It’s the quicker pitches that has practiced a ton.
A year removed from elbow surgery that ended his 2023 season, Donovan is an established big leaguer, and he’s seen how pitchers are shifting against him. The types of fastballs he’s seeing have broadened. Practice with the high-velocity pitching machine is meant to help him “survive†he said when he gets behind in the count or faces a two-strike cut fastball or up-and-in four-seam and needs to do something with it. He hit the home run Saturday on a changeup when he didn’t let the at-bat get past the 1-1 count.
“Stuff is moving like crazy and the velocity is crazy,†Donovan said. “I have to be disciplined and swing at the right pitches. If my work is good, it takes the guessing game out of it.â€
Sort of like starting daily at second base.
For now.
“Are you ever really comfortable as a utility player?†Donovan mused Saturday afternoon. “Maybe not. But that’s why you’re a utility player. You’re comfortable being uncomfortable.â€
Matz will join active roster, but who else?
The Cardinals plan to add lefty Steven Matz to the active roster Sunday when Major League Baseball allows teams to increase roster size from 26 to 28. Matz will take a spot on the 40-man roster when he returns from a back injury that put him on the 60-day injured list.
That will leave two openings on the 40-man roster and give the Cardinals flexibility to go several directions as they retool the roster.
Outfielder Michael Siani could join the Cardinals as the other addition, pending how he feels Sunday following back-to-back rehab games with Class AAA Memphis. Siani has missed almost a month with an oblique muscle injury.
The Cardinals are also at least considering the addition of a third catcher to the major-league roster, which would mean a move beyond adding Matz and Siani to the expanded roster. The Cardinals signed Chance Sisco to a minor-league deal on Friday, assigned him to the Class AAA roster, and sent him to Iowa to play for the Redbirds. Sisco, 29, has 196 games in the majors with Baltimore and he provides depth at the position. Wade Stauss is another left-handed-hitting catcher who would complement the catchers already in the majors. Adding a third catcher would free up Ivan Herrera to be used more often as a right-handed bat off the bench.
The Cardinals have not revealed their pitching rotation for the upcoming series in Milwaukee, where Matz could make his return to the rotation. The Cardinals are at least discussing the use of a six-man rotation, even if it’s only briefly.
Pham claimed by Royals
Outfielder Tommy Pham was claimed Saturday by the Kansas City Royals just ahead of the deadline for postseason eligibility. The Royals, who are vying for the American League Central title, added Pham and outfielder Robbie Grossman via separate waiver claims. The Cardinals passed Pham through waivers on Thursday morning and designated him for assignment Friday to remove him from the roster.
He had requested the move when realizing there was going to be limited playing time for the Cardinals, and he wanted a chance to start more often for a playoff-bound team.
Pham, 36, had an abruptly abbreviated second act with the Cardinals. Acquired at the trade deadline from the White Sox as part of a three-team deal headlined by pitcher Erick Fedde’s addition, Pham appeared in 23 games for the Cardinals and hit .206 with a .653 OPS. He had a pinch-hit grand slam that announced his return to the team that drafted him, but his playing time gradually diminished from there as the Cardinals slipped in the standings.
Lance Lynn nears return, etc.
Lance Lynn will aim for 85 pitches in his rehab start with the Triple-A Redbirds on Sunday at Iowa. The veteran right-hander, who has missed several weeks due to a knee injury, may be ready to return to the big-league roster after this outing, pending how he recovers Monday. … Surging prospect and lefty Quinn Mathews struck out seven in his Class AAA debut. He allowed three runs on five hits through five innings. The Cardinals’ fourth-round pick a year ago, Mathews leads all minor-league pitchers with 187 strikeouts this season in 130 2/3 innings. … The Luke Weaver who pitched a scoreless ninth inning of relief Saturday for the Yankees is the same former Cardinals’ first-rounder they traded to Arizona in the Paul Goldschmidt deal. … Nolan Arenado has at least a hit in 14 consecutive games against the Yankees. That is the longest active streak of any player.