HOUSTON — There were several things that slipped through the Cardinals’ grasp on their longest road trip of the season, but the most uncharacteristic was the baseball itself.
The Cardinals pledged to improve their fielding flaws from last season, and already this season, they fought the urge several times to address offensive issues at the expense of defense. After a sure-handed start to the summer, they juggled their way through the past three weeks into what can only be called a defensive slump. The Cardinals committed at least one error in 11 consecutive games going into the nine-game road trip and then committed 11 errors on the trip.
The 4-2 victory Wednesday vs. the Astros was the first spotless game in a week.
“We’ve got to play better defensively, and they’re pretty routine plays for the most part,†manager Oliver Marmol said. “Sometimes you see guys forcing an error or making a throw where they don’t need to make a throw or overthrowing. These have been more routine-based. And we’ve got to take care of the baseball. They did a really good job early on of making sure teams had to beat us. Right now, we’re giving several outs away per game.â€
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The errors committed in Houston prolonged innings and, in one game, slightly shifted the use of the bullpen, but they could be traced directly to costly runs. That was not the case in two starts by Lance Lynn on the trip, when the righty allowed seven runs in 10 total innings but six of those runs were unearned.
The Cardinals allowed 10 unearned runs on the road trip.
They were outscored in the nine games by four runs.
Second baseman Nolan Gorman committed three of the errors in Houston, and they each came on a similar play. Attempting to dictate the hop on which he played the ball and not let the field do it, Gorman charged in. He kept his glove to his side and then had the ball glance off it for an error. Two of the areas Gorman works on almost daily are charging the ball and moving to his backhand. Those are the plays he has had to improve during the transition from third base to second base.
Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn bobbled the ball on an exchange that could have been a double play, and with two errors in the past week, he has 10 in 436â…” innings this season.
Marmol said one factor that can contribute to fielding mishaps is fatigue, and with Winn, “for me, that’s the one,†the manager said. “Keeping him fresh is important.â€
Winn is also at the nexus of how the modern game evaluates defense.
The errors are high. The advanced measures are strong.
With 23 errors in 19 games, the Cardinals soared into the top eight for errors, but they didn’t tumble too far in vastly improving defense metrics. Winn has 10 errors at shortstop, but until the past week, he also was among the leaders at any position for defensive runs saved. The Cardinals started the road trip with plus-12 DRS, according to Sports Info Solutions. That ranked 11th in baseball. The road trip cleaved their DRS down to plus-6, but they only dropped to 14th.
They’ve played porously in the past three weeks, but some of the modern evaluations suggest they’re not a poor defense. They have range.
According to , they remain among the league leaders when turning double plays and in the range they cover as a group of fielders.
Those just don’t show up in the box score.
The errors are as hard to miss as their illumination on the scoreboard.
“If it were like a lack of communication, throwing to (cutoffs), not being in the right spot — those types of things are more frustrating than physical, routine errors,†Marmol said. “Certain guys will go through stretches where that just happens. It’s been bunched here recently. But we do need to take care of the baseball. Clean it up. I don’t see it being an identity for our infielders.â€
Rehab roundup
Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) allowed two home runs in his inning of work for Class AAA Memphis on Tuesday night in Omaha, Nebraska. The right-hander pitched one inning of relief and needed 20 pitches to get the three outs. Both of the hits and runs he allowed came on solo homers — one off a fastball and the other off a slider.
The right-handed reliever struggled at times this season with the shape and effectiveness of his pitches, and the Cardinals believe health will help restore the traits.
“Sometimes that goes hand in hand,†Marmol said. “Not being able to rip through something is physical, too. The shape of something sometimes depends on you being able to rip through it.â€
Steven Matz (back) will follow Gallegos into Omaha and start Thursday night for the Triple-A Redbirds. He is set to pitch two innings and, preferably for the team, around 40 to 45 pitches so he can begin building stamina and pitch count from there.
Prieto, Saladin win Cardinals minors awards
Cesar Prieto, one of the prospects the Cardinals added in the selloff at this past year’s trade deadline, had an .880 on-base plus slugging percentage on the strength of a .537 slugging percentage and 14 extra-base hits in May to win the organization’s minor league player of the month honor. Prieto, 25, had a 20-game on-base streak for Class AAA Memphis within the month and finished the month fourth in the organization in runs (16) and RBIs (15).
Acquired from Baltimore in the Jack Flaherty trade, Prieto has a knack for making contact at the plate, and he made a strong impression at big league spring training for his approach at the plate. Baseball America considers him the “best hitter for average†in the system, and through 49 games this season, he’s hitting .297 with a .508 slugging percentage.
Darlin Saladin, a 21-year-old right-hander, won the organization’s pitcher of the month award for going 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in five starts. He opened the month with 15 consecutive scoreless innings and a career-best start with nine strikeouts. In May, the right-hander struck out 37 in 26 innings and was first in the organization in ERA and second with an .157 average against.
Extra bases
Former Cardinal Dakota Hudson started Wednesday for Colorado, so he will miss appearing against his former club during the Rockies’ four-day visit to ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Hudson signed as a free agent with Colorado and entering Wednesday was 2-7 with a 4.94 ERA.
- One of the right-handed relievers the Cardinals pursued this past winter recently passed through waivers unclaimed in part because of the contract San Diego offered to lure him away from other suitors. Woo-Suk Go, a closer in Korea, was demoted to Class AA to start the season and included in the Luis Arraez trade to shed his salary from the Padres’ spending. He’s since been in Class AAA for the Marlins, but they found no takers for his two-year, $4.5 million deal given a dip in velocity and performance thus far in the minors.
- Voting for the All-Star Game’s starting lineups began Wednesday at .