OAKLAND, Calif. — For his manager, it was what the swing let loose that signaled the potential for an oncoming surge, but for Nolan Arenado, it was what held on tight that did.
When the Cardinals cleanup hitter began this road trip with a three-run homer in Arizona, how his swing ended was classic, comfortable — that one-handed, high-finish follow-through that had been missing, replaced at times by a tight, two-fisted finish. He knows fans see it, too. Imagine how it feels.
“I don’t want to,†Arenado said of the two-handed follow-through Wednesday morning at Oakland Coliseum. “I know people don’t like seeing it. I don’t like feeling it and doing it. I think a lot of it has to do with posture. I was a little wide, so for me to load, I was loading (with the upper body). Lately, I’ve been a little narrower. It’s helping me get clear.â€
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It’s helping him take off.
Before finishing the road trip with strikeouts in his final two at-bats — including one on a wicked, 99 mph hornet of a fastball — Arenado was 10 for 22 (.454) on the road trip with a slugging percentage of .682. He walked and singled in his first two plate appearances Wednesday before the Cardinals slipped 6-3 to the Athletics. He crammed about as much production into the six-game road trip as he had in the first two weeks of the season, raising his average to .299, and Marmol traces it back to that three-run launch in Arizona.
“Once he hit the homer, every swing after that has been getting his swing off,†the manager said. “It’s been aggressive. It hasn’t been in between. He’s doing what he wants with the barrel. And rather than the pitcher getting him out, he was just missing pitches and getting himself out. It’s different. He’s doing what he wants in the box now, and you can see the difference.â€
It’s right there in the follow-through.
Over the past year or so, Arenado has been working on increasing his hand speed and bat speed while also unlocking his ability to drive the ball to right field. He has the most pull-side homers in the majors since his debut. He once likened the drive for more hand speed to delivering a punch, and he referred back to that Wednesday to describe how he feels he got into a bind with the two-handed finish. What once was just a drill suddenly became part of his swing as a reaction to his upper half getting in the way of the swing. He felt like he was effectively blocking that punch he wanted to deliver.
“If your posture is tall and (you’re open), you’re going to be able to get a good punch in,†Arenado said. “When I’m going good, my posture is really good and my upper body is out of the way. When my upper body gets in the way, that’s when you get that two-handed finish. I think I created really bad habits in spring training, and I’m trying to slowly get away from them.â€
One of those habits was twisting his torso to load instead of using his hands.
On his 33rd birthday Tuesday, Arenado had two singles and keyed a rally for the Cardinals with a leadoff bolt — with a one-handed follow-through. He noted Wednesday how Albert Pujols had to adjust his stance over time, going from the wider base that won three Most Valuable Player awards in ºüÀêÊÓƵ to the more compact stance he had when returning from the Angels. Arenado has adopted a similar change — moving his feet closer so that he feels more upright. Back discomfort late last season “didn’t help†that posture he’s now trying to get back in place.
“It’s harder to maintain, so it’s something in the cage I really focus on,†Arenado said. “I think, for me, if I’m finishing high and I’m finishing on my back side, that is when I’m in a pretty good place.â€
An example came a few hours later. After a leadoff single by Lars Nootbaar, Arenado came up and on an 0-1 pitch from Paul Blackburn, Arenado missed with a two-handed follow-through. Two pitches later, at 1-2, Nootbaar got a jump from first. Blackburn came back in the zone. And Arenado drilled a single to right field — complete with one-handed follow-through. He went with the pitch. He had the punch. He had the follow through.
By the end of the inning, the Cardinals had the lead.
It didn’t last. But his manager feels what Arenado found on the road will.
“He can lock it in for a while and ride it,†Marmol said. “For the type of hitter Nolan is, it takes one swing. He clicks it in and goes from there. That swing (in Arizona) clicked it in, and we’re going from there.â€
Quick chat with Rickey Henderson
Not too far from the logo for “Rickey Henderson Field,†the name of the playing surface at the Oakland Coliseum, Cardinals rookie Victor Scott II did what few could during Henderson’s career — caught up with him. Before Tuesday’s late game, Scott, who stole 94 bases last season and aspires to steal 100 in a season, introduced himself to the all-time stolen base king and then ...
“Took a couple of steps back and just listened,†Scott said.
The rookie stood with Henderson and Cardinals coach Willie McGee for several minutes ahead of batting practice.
“I just wanted to be in his presence,†Scott said. “I listened to his and Willie’s conversation about how the game was, how they played it, how they had fun with it, and some of the biggest takeaways was how he had fun with the game. How he approached it was, ultimately, to have fun. Every day to him was a game. If he was in a slump, OK, I’m going to get out of it.â€
To catch a thief (or two)
The Cardinals halted a streak of 13 consecutive successful steals against them to open the season with a runner caught in the first inning Monday. Improving how they patrol thefts on the bases is an ongoing goal this season especially as first-year backup catcher Ivan Herrera works on that facet of his defensive responsibilities.
With a steal in the sixth inning Wednesday, opponents improved to 11 for 11 against Herrera this season. That steal combined with a double play that wasn’t turned led to the A’s sixth run of the game.
“It’s something he’s going to continue to work on,†Marmol said.
The Cardinals were not the last team to throw out a runner this season — the second season with limited pickoff attempts and larger bases to grease the base paths for more steals. Entering play Wednesday, opponents were 25 for 25 in steal attempts against the Mets and 13 for 13 against the Pirates. Milwaukee catcher William Contreras, Willson’s younger brother, started the day without a runner caught in 10 attempts against him this season. The Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto had caught three of the 20 who have tried against him.
Opponents are 3 for 4 against Willson in steal attempts.
Extra bases
- Willson Contreras extended his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games dating back to last year. That is tied for the longest active streak with Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, whose run is stalled by his move to the injured list ahead of visiting ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
- Ryan Helsley had his fifth three-up, three-down save of the season Tuesday night. That matches his total from all of last season — when he had 14 saves total and only five were perfect. Helsley entered Wednesday leading the majors with seven saves.
Matt Carpenter (oblique strain) made advancements in his swing program and will aim to take batting practice with the team this weekend as the Cardinals return home. Carpenter is eyeballing a rehab assignment with a minor league affiliate that would allow him to get a handful of plate appearances he wouldn’t be assured coming off the bench in the big leagues.