At some point early in a game in which he was about to have two hits and drive in two runs, Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn turned to third baseman Nolan Arenado and said Sunday was the best his back felt “all year.”
“That was super exciting,” Winn said later.
Beneath the substantive hitting streak and the glitzy play at shortstop has been the work behind the scenes Winn, the athletic training staff and manager Oliver Marmol have been doing to keep the young infielder available and healthy while playing through back discomfort. Winn said there are times the pain can make it difficult for him to walk, and yet with proactive days off and a variety of treatments, he’s been able to hit .306 and move into the leadoff spot when needed, such as Sunday.
Winn said the goal has been to take two days of rest when necessary and attempt to avoid two weeks on the injured list.
“Our trainers have me on a nice little plan right now,” Winn said. “Certain days are worse than others. Some days, it hurts when I walk. Some days, it hurts when I swing.”
Winn had a two-run single to increase the Cardinals’ lead toward a 5-1 victory against Colorado on Sunday at Busch Stadium. He added a bunt single in the sixth inning, and he turned a pivotal double play to help starter Andre Pallante. Winn has at least one hit in 22 of his past 25 games, and in that span, he’s 33 for 95 (.347).
The 22-year-old shortstop had back soreness interrupt spring training, and it has surfaced a few times since. When talking about it Sunday, Winn said his 5-foot-11 frame combined with twisting and turning might be contributors. He added that part of the plan they’ve developed is more stretching and work to increase his flexibility because of how tight his hamstring muscles and hips can get. Addressing them helps the back soreness.
During an at-bat recently in Houston, a head trainer met Winn at the plate when it appeared he was experiencing back pain. He remained in the game and in that series hit his first home run in his hometown.
“That was a tough series,” Winn said. “I honestly could have probably taken that whole series off. I was at home for the first time. I wanted to be out there. Certain games are definitely worse than others. Right now, I’m feeling great.”
Winn described how he and Marmol have had ongoing conversations about when a day off would benefit him, when back-to-back breaks are possible or when a partial game might help.
Following his 18-game hitting streak — the second-longest in history by a Cardinals rookie — Winn has at least one hit in six of the past seven games. He lined a low pitch with two outs in the fourth for two runs and his team-high 22nd two-out hit of the season. Reading the defense, he sneaked a bunt single for his second hit.
“I think we’re seeing every game that level of maturity in him continue to develop,” Marmol said. “You’ve seen it on defense (with) him slowing the game down more and more. Offensively ... using the whole field. Today was a perfect example of how he sees an opportunity to lay one down. The guy behind him (Alec Burleson) is swinging the bat well. Why not? That was good. We’re starting to see him see the whole game, and that’s really good for us.”
Gallegos: Health breeds confidence
During his month away from the majors to recover from a shoulder injury, reliever Giovanny Gallegos did more than regain his health, strength and some of that zip on his pitches.
He restored his confidence in all three, too.
“It’s my confidence that’s the (biggest) thing about myself,” Gallegos said. “I worked on that one because it’s hard when you stay here in the big leagues and compete with the best players. The results are important. You need to not lose your confidence after that. If you don’t feel good, you start to lose the confidence.”
Gallegos pitched a scoreless inning Saturday night on his rehab assignment with Class AAA Memphis, and he struck out a batter. Gallegos will have at least one more rehab appearance with an affiliate this week before returning to the big league bullpen, likely during the team’s upcoming trip. By Monday, the Cardinals want to determine whether Gallegos’ next appearance will be for more than an inning Tuesday with an affiliate or if he will appear in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday for an affiliate.
Through four rehab appearances with Memphis, Gallegos has three strikeouts and three homers allowed. The outings have shifted from getting pitch counts in and building strength to, he agreed, seeking results in Saturday’s outing and building that trust in his pitches.
“If you feel good and you work hard, the confidence is coming back,” Gallegos said. “Good times coming up.”
Extra bases
Pitcher Matthew Liberatore had an abrasion from the baseball laces on his right calf from where a 109 mph liner struck him in the sixth inning. He experienced some stiffness near the ankle but was able to walk and expected to be fine Tuesday.
- Riley O’Brien (flexor strain) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday against hitters at one of the Cardinals’ affiliates. If the right-hander recovers well from that outing, his next appearance could be with the same affiliate at the beginning of a rehab assignment.
- The Rockies promoted their top prospect, infielder Adael Amador, ahead of Sunday’s game. At 21 years and 59 days old, Amador became the second-youngest position player to make his big league debut with the start at second base Sunday. The only Rockies player younger was to his right, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who debuted at 21 years, 53 days. Tovar had two homers and four RBIs on Saturday. Amador received applause from the crowd for his first MLB at-bat and promptly singled. He finished 1 for 3.
- Michael Siani’s eighth sacrifice bunt of the season is one shy of Jon Jay’s total in 2013, the last time any Cardinal had as many as eight.