Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson has faced no shortage of disappointments or challenges since late last season. They’ve ranged from injury to surgery to being seemingly pushed to the background of the club’s plans.
Once he'd put that behind him and started finding success on the field this spring, the cycle restarted with another injury.
Since he’d returned from his most recent injury (a sprained left shoulder), Carlson had been trying to simultaneously build strength and find rhythm and timing despite inconsistent playing time.
“It has its challenges for sure,†Carlson said. “At the end of the day, we’re professionals. You’ve got to be ready when called upon, be ready to contribute. I think for me, personally, that’s the best mindset I can take into it. Just trust my work, understand the situations I need to be prepared for and give myself the best opportunity to help this team.â€
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Carlson’s two hits and three RBIs helped the Cardinals to an 8-5 win over the Colorado Rockies in front of an announced crowd of 35,299 at Busch Stadium on Friday night.
“He needed that. We needed that,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Hopefully, that’s a step that allows him to continue to play with more confidence. … A game like that could spur you on. Hopefully, that’s what that does because he definitely came through tonight several times.â€
The Cardinals (30-32) evened the four-game series with the win, and they enjoyed their highest scoring game since they scored 10 runs in a win against the Boston Red Sox on May 17.
Brendan Donovan (2 for 4) drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning before Carlson drove in a pair of insurance runs. Alec Burleson (2 for 5), Paul Goldschmidt (2 for 4, two RBIs) and Ivan Herrera (2 for 4, two runs) also had multi-hit games.
Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn (1 for 4, double) had a hit and a walk and scored twice out of the leadoff spot in the batting order.
The Cardinals went 7 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
They scored the first four runs of the game, but they coughed that lead up when starting pitcher Lance Lynn gave up four runs in the fourth inning. Lynn allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in four innings. He also struck out six.
The Rockies (22-41) led 5-4 going into the sixth inning.
Carlson, a switch hitter who started in center field, delivered the first of two clutch late-inning hits in the sixth. He started for just the 12th time this season since he came of the injured list on May 5.
“This game will test you,†Carlson said. “I’ve gone through a lot of challenges, ups and downs here. The game just finds different ways to challenge you, and it’s something — it’s part of your story.
"Keep growing. Keep building. Keep evolving. Make the most out of it. Right now, I’m trying to make the most out of my opportunity here and keep contributing when called upon.â€
Entering the night, Carlson had just one hit against a right-handed pitcher (1 for 18) this season.
With the Cardinals trailing, runners on the corners and two outs, Marmol left Carlson in the game to bat against right-handed pitcher Anthony Molina in the sixth.
Carlson swatted a 3-2 fastball from Molina on the ground that snuck through the infield with the runners in motion. The RBI single tied the score and stopped the longest stretch of Carlson’s career without an RBI at 24 games (dating back to last season).
“You’re just competing,†Carlson said. “I saw a lot of pitches. I saw pretty much everything he had. I worked it to 3-2 and just got the bat on the ball and found a hole. (I was) fortunate that we were running on the play and was able to find a hole.
“We got a run in, and it worked out for us. I’m definitely grateful. I’m glad it got through. I’m glad we were able to tie it up and eventually take advantage of it.â€
The score remained tied heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals put the first two batters of the inning on base against Rockies right-handed reliever Matt Carasiti thanks to a Nolan Gorman walk and a single by Herrera.
Speedy outfielder Michael Siani pinch ran for Gorman, representing the go-ahead run. Then Rockies outfielder Michael Toglia made a sliding catch on Matt Carpenter’s sinking line drive to left field for the first out of the inning.
That passed the baton to Donovan, who lined a single to center field. Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle fielded and quickly fired an incredibly strong and accurate one-hop throw to the plate with Siani attempting to score from second base.
Doyle’s throw and catcher Elias Diaz’s tag came within a split second of beating Siani to the plate.
“It was hit to the exact guy we didn’t want it hit to because he has an absolute cannon,†Marmol said. “Our hope was, if we’re going to have a shot, it’s going to be Siani there. We have the flexibility of Donnie going to second and still finishing that game. We took our shot. Thankfully, it worked. And we were able to tack on a couple more and bring Helsley in.â€
Donovan advanced to second base on Doyle’s throw to the plate, and Herrera went to third base. That brought Carlson to the plate for another matchup against a right-handed reliever.
This time, Carlson hit a forkball from Carasiti on the ground inside the first base bag and down the right field line for a two-run double. That gave Carlson his first extra-base hit of the season.
“It’s been a while,†Carlson said with a chuckle, when asked what he was thinking after that double. “But no, it was just nice to come through for the team, extend the lead a little bit and give us a chance to bring (Ryan) Helsley in and finish it off.â€
Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his MLB-leading 21st save of the season.
Carlson’s success at the plate potentially carries significance that stretches beyond one win.
A former highly-rated prospect, Carlson enjoyed a breakout type season in 2021. He slashed .266/.343/.437 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs in 149 games. He's dealt with a witches' brew of injury and inconsistency in the subsequent seasons.
This winter, Carlson came into spring training camp slated as the club’s fourth outfielder after ankle surgery last fall. He'd devoted a lot of his offseason focus to retooling his swing, and he showed marked improvement in the exhibition season.
With projected starting center fielder Tommy Edman slow to recover from offseason surgery, Carlson won the starting center field job in spring training.
However, Carlson sustained a left shoulder AC sprain in an outfield collision with Jordan Walker during the second-to-last exhibition game.
Carlson missed the first 33 games of the regular season. He returned from the IL in early May, but he has struggled. Carlson entered the day batting .128.
“He put in a lot of work leading into spring to get just quicker and increase his bat speed,†Marmol said. “He put in real work there all offseason. He came back and there was a noticeable difference in how he was impacting the ball from the left side and right side.
“He has the injury, and it’s a setback in being able to continue that program because it’s a heavy workload of swings at high intensity which he couldn’t really continue. He was just trying to get healthy enough to get back into games. That progression has started again, and our hope is we continue to see it carry into the game as far as him being able to have the intent of swing be there. But that’s not going to be an overnight thing, and he knows that.â€