Will the Cardinals’ difficulty beating bad teams prevent management from bringing in reinforcements sooner rather than later? Sports columnists Ben Frederickson and Jeff Gordon discuss.
Brandon Crawford had to react quickly.
The Cardinals infielder, filling in for Nolan Arenado at third base, stayed back to catch a sharply hit ground ball in the eighth inning. His decision left him with two options to end the inning – either attempt a throw to nab a runner on the other side of the field or win a race to third base against one of his former teammates.
Crawford, playing third base for just the second time in his career, elected to run and his quick reaction helped the Cardinals maintain their one-point lead and earn a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon in front of 37,492 fans at Busch Stadium.
“That was tough,” Crawford said. “I just wanted to try to get out on third base because I know (Heliot Ramos) gets down the line pretty well. Luckily, I got there just in time.”
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Crawford was a key player for the Giants for 13 seasons and, after an uncharacteristic collapse in the bullpen for the Cardinals, found himself in the spotlight against his former team.
After seven innings of one run and one hit by starting pitcher Sonny Gray, reliever Jojo Romero walked two of the first three batters he faced in the eighth inning. Andrew Kittredge relieved Romero after the second of those walks and immediately allowed a run-scoring ground rule double by Wilmer Flores and a sacrifice fly by Austin Slater. With the two swings, the Cardinals’ lead shrank to 4-3.
Then Giants leadoff hitter Brett Wisely reached first base on a four-pitch walk, setting the stage for Ramos to turn the game around. San Francisco’s two-hole hitter hit the third pitch of his at-bat over third base, and Crawford ran to the base to tag him just before Flores’ slide, forcing him out. The Giants challenged the call on the field, and it was upheld, ending the threat.
“I just knew I had to stay back because the worst-case scenario is that if I don’t get the ball out, the bases are loaded,” Crawford said. “But I had to make sure it didn’t get past me, so I had to make the big jump and wait a little longer than I wanted to, but I still threw the ball out.”
The alert defensive play was the first of two season-defining moments for Crawford in the victory that gave the Cardinals the win in the three-game series.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Crawford got his first hit and RBI as a member of the Cardinals at Busch Stadium with a double down the right field line to make it 5-3. The 37-year-old managed one of three runs with the double and a walk and has had a hit in five of the last six games in which he appeared.
The double, his first against a left-handed pitcher this season, gave the Cardinals another run.
“I was happy to contribute,” Crawford said. “No matter who we’re playing, it’s a great feeling when you get a big out and then contribute with the bat.”
Crawford’s season didn’t start as ideally as he would have liked, however. The Mountain View, Calif., native signed with the Cardinals late in spring training, limiting his opportunities to play live in-game and adjust to a new environment. He had just three hits in his first 31 at-bats as a Cardinal, a stretch in which he posted a lackluster on-base percentage of .177 and an on-base-plus-slugging mark of .097.
However, Crawford has shown what he can do as a relief player in his last six appearances. Since May 30, he has a .400 batting average (six for 15) with one home run, three doubles, three RBIs and four walks.
“We have to remember he didn’t have spring training,” Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said after Sunday’s game. “He came in, and it’s tough to step into that role for the first time and then not have a spring to prepare for it — that makes it twice as difficult. As he’s had more at-bats and just found a routine that fits the role, I think we’re seeing a much better version of him.”
Despite initial difficulties at bat and limited playing time at the start, Crawford has found ways to impact the Cardinals off the field as well.
Gray and catcher Pedro Pages praised Crawford’s leadership qualities in the locker room, particularly pointing to the veteran’s attitude and actions.
“He’s great, doesn’t get a lot of playing time, but he just never gets rattled,” Gray said. “He’s won three World Series. He knows what (success) looks like… Every day he leads by example.”
“He’s phenomenal out there,” Pages said. “He always keeps a positive attitude and works hard.”
Crawford’s turnaround comes at an ideal time for the Cardinals, who are in the National League’s second wild-card playoff spot with a 39-37 record. The team could have catcher Willson Contreras back as early as Monday and has the National League’s best record since May 12 (24-13).
His ability to play third base also provides depth behind Arenado, who received an injection to treat nerve irritation in his left forearm. Arenado was injured on a check swing on Saturday and was unavailable for Sunday.
But despite Arenado’s uncertainty, Crawford believes he is heading in the right direction.
“The last month felt a lot more like me than the first month,” Crawford said. “It was tough, but I feel a lot better at bat, even better on defense.”
The Cardinals completed a series sweep of the Giants on Sunday with the help of seven innings with a one-run performance by Sonny Gray and a quick-reaction play by Brandon Crawford.
Hall of Fame commentator Bob Costas still says it was “the best regular season game I’ve ever commentated on.”
