Perception is a tricky thing in sports.
When Bud Norris came into spring training, St. Louis Cardinals fans wanted him gone. Was it due to the many years of average output as a starter in the Major Leagues, or Norris' rather obscene comments when he talked about foreign players ruining the culture of the game?
That's not a good way to start off a baseball player-fan relationship, especially in a rich baseball culture like St. Louis, but sometimes you can't pick which human being gets to be great at their job and share good moral values. It doesn't work that way too often.
So it's a good thing Norris can strike a lot of guys out. He did that to nail down his second save and seal a 5-3 victory for the Cardinals that brought them back to the .500 mark.
Here are my five takeaways:
5) Yadier Molina has five home runs on the season in just over 50 at-bats. It took him over 450 at-bats in 2015 to hit four home runs. It just goes to show you how much of an impact a thumb injury can have on a hitter's power. Many, including myself, complained about Molina hitting fifth in the lineup. He's proven all of us wrong by smashing in that particular spot.
4) The Cardinals went 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight guys on base, but they produced 13 hits, including a pair of home runs. Five of the top six hitters in their lineup collected two hits. When you do this, the opposition will fold and runs will be scored. Still, if a few more opportunities are capitalized on, the lead has a bigger gap than two runs.
3) Jose Martinez collected two more hits and is now hitting .375. When you mention Martinez's success, a few will say it's only temporary or that it's hard to trust. That's valid, but at the same time, he simply isn't slowing down. How long does a streak last? He's been doing it since last summer. It's not a week or two with lots of home runs. Martinez is hurting other teams in every single way imaginable. Pitchers are trying to bust Martinez inside and he's hammering the attempt all over the field. Three home runs, two doubles, 13 singles all over the field, and six walks. A dual threat.
2) Luke Weaver was impressive once again, offering six innings with two runs allowed and seven strikeouts. The two runs were allowed as Weaver was trying to stretch to seven innings. The young arm is capable of shutting the door for six innings at the moment, and that's fine. You don't have to push Weaver with a deep pen. He's only made 21 MLB starts, so give him the time to grow. The 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio is most impressive along with an inability to allow home runs.
1) Norris was the pick for the ninth and not Greg Holland, and the reason is simple. Holland got ten days to prepare for the Major Leagues, while the rest of the roster got over a month in Jupiter. The seasoned righthander just needs time to stretch everything out. You don't dismiss 166 saves in his past four seasons over a little wildness. Norris can handle it. Since the start of the 2017 season, when he became a primary closer/bullpen type, Norris has struck out 86 batters in just 68.2 innings. Use that.
The Cardinals are taking advantage of a woeful Reds team, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Chicago Cubs are next on the docket, so you take your batting practice in Cincinnati before facing the rivals. It all works out sometimes in baseball. Let's hope the Cardinals keep taking care of business.
Today, Miles Mikolas takes the hill. He's allowed four earned runs in each of his first two starts, so I expect a line today that looks something like this: 6 innings, 3 earned runs, 8 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk, and a home run allowed and hit himself. That's what I think.
What do you think? Let me know at @buffa82 on Twitter or by my given name on Facebook.
Thanks for reading,
DLB
