Cardinals are looking for a sustained offensive spark to go on a run. Can they steal it? (2024)

MINNEAPOLIS— On almost any pitch he’s able to send hurtling toward the outfield, Willson Contreras leaves the batter’s box thinking about stretching for second base. In the fourth inning of a tie game Friday night at Target Field, Contreras pulled a ball to left field, saw the route of the outfielder, knew the scouting report, and without pause pushed for second base.

That put in motion the winning rally and what yet could be an edge for the Cardinals.

Not all bases swiped are stolen bases.

“I see the ball land in the outfield and I’m thinking two (bases),” Contreras said. “Just playing with energy, to light that fire on the team – for them to feel the energy.”

At the core of the Cardinals’ clinic they put on in a 6-1 victory against Minnesota – arguably their most complete, well-rounded win of the season – were all the bases taken from what the Twins were willing to get. The Cardinals coaches spied an edge they could exploit on steals, and they tied a season-high with four steals, including three that led directly to three runs. They waited out nine walks, including one with the bases loaded. They advanced on two wild pitches, they went first to third to generate another run, and Contreras, whenever he had the chance pushed for that extra 90 feet.

For a club that is craving runs and thirsting for power to put together a last-dash offensive for a playoff spot, the Cardinals extended their winning streak to three games by showing that total bases off the bat is only way to measure total bases for an offense.

“A single with a very smart baserunning play is no different than a double when it comes to where you’re standing at the end of it, right?” manager Oliver Marmol said. “Yeah, if you’re not slugging – being able to take the next 90 feet one way or the other is important. We did that really well today.”

Twins’ right-hander David Festa retired the first seven Cardinals of the game before Matt Carpenter worked a walk. The shape of the game shifted.

Victor Scott II reached base on a force out and put the inning back in gear by stealing second. Masyn Winn delivered the two-out single that easily scored Scott and tied the game, 1-1. An inning later, Contreras took off for second for a leadoff double. Brendan Donovan accepted a walk – those were just starting to collect in the box score – and then both of them completed a double steal. Contreras utilized a tip from a coach on the Twins’ pitcher, and when he saw it, he bolted from second for third. Donovan followed and both had their fourth steals of the season.

They both scored on Lars Nootbaar’s two-run double, and the Cardinals held the lead for good. They added to it with Donovan’s 10th homer of the season and then Scott’s bases-loaded walk and Winn’s second RBI of the game in the eighth.

“Every opportunity that presented itself, it felt like we took advantage of it and executed really, really well,” Marmol said.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” Donovan said. “There are so many different pieces in this lineup. You have some thump. You have some contact. You have some aggressiveness. You have some passivity. You have a lot of pieces and for us, it’s just getting back to that identity. Taking advantage on the bases. Going first to third. Things like that. I think there was a combination of all of that tonight.”

Donovan was in the middle of most of it.

Sometimes literally.

During one stretch of the methodic win, Andre Pallante and reliever John King combined to retired 16 consecutive Twins. After unsteady first and second innings, Pallante (6-6) gained traction and retired 17 of the final 18 he faced on the way to seven innings. At second base, Donovan had the play on five of Pallante’s final 13 outs. Two that did not go to Donovan were on pitches that broke Royce Lewis bat and instead went to shortstop Winn. Getting a quality pitching performance has not been unusual for the Cardinals. Supporting them with runs has been.

While the Cardinals’ pitchers retired 16 consecutive Twins, they also got 16 baserunners. Luken Baker walked three times after coming off the bench. Contreras reached base three times. And Donovan had the mix that defined the night: he walked on four pitches, he stole a base on one of the next pitches, and he sent a 2-2 pitch into the seats for a home run.

“We’re looking at the smaller details of the game,” Contreras said. “We did a lot of those today. We’re trying to play baseball the right way and play with energy.”

A drag on their standings all season, the Cardinals’ offense has been meek with runners in scoring position and inconsistent elsewhere. It’s a lack of offense that explains the strain placed on the bullpen and all of the slim-margin games they’ve played. They’re in the bottom third for runs scored, bottom half for on-base percentage, and when it comes to slugging they rank 11th-lowest in the majors at .388. They’ve even lagged behind in steals in large part because they’ve played from behind or opportunities have been limited.

The lack of steals leaves them slightly below average on baserunning, according to the metric calculated by FanGraphs.com. The Cardinals are 3% below average.

When bats are not, one way to create extra bases is with feats of opportunity.

During their first three-game winning streak in two months, they’ve taken 90 feet in more ways than just swinging for it. They have five steals in the three games and they have 22 walks. They’ve taken an extra base to keep an inning moving. Repeatedly over the past week, the Cardinals have described how to get back in the race, they have to get the offense going. They got the record back to .500 on Friday night by putting the go in offense going and revealing one other certainty if they can create a closing kick for the playoffs.

They’re going to have to steal it.

“We’re going to be smart about what we do,” Marmol said. “Right now, that’s where they’re at mentally. Absolutely.”