Cardinals drop nightcap after grueling weekend

ST. LOUIS -- Heading into this weekend’s double doubleheader at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals had a chance to pack a lot of wins into a short amount of time.

They emerged from the four-game series against the Reds with three victories following Sunday night’s 5-3 loss.

They’ll take it.

• Box score

“That’s a whirlwind of baseball,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “Overall, very pleased and proud, but not surprised, of how our guys competed. That’s what we do. Guys are mentally and physically tough, and we proved it all the way through the weekend.”

St. Louis finished the weekend and began September firmly on top of the National League Central, three games ahead of the Cubs. It’s right where they want to be going into the final month of the regular season, looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

When the Cardinals found out that they would be playing four games in around 36 hours, they looked at the situation as if they were playing four games in four days: An opportunity to get a series win and widen their lead in the division. They did both.

“We obviously get rained out [Friday night], find out we have two doubleheaders in two days,” Shildt said. “Not a peep about it or any complaint. Let’s go, let’s figure it out, let’s get it done.”

The Cardinals took each game as it came, taking the same approach as they would in any regular game.

“Get as many hits as you can, get on base as much as you can,” outfielder Dexter Fowler said Saturday.

“We just knew it would be a busy weekend and that we would be spending a lot of time at the field,” infielder Tommy Edman added Sunday. “Honestly it was kind of a bonding experience going through that grind as a team. It worked out well for us, we got a few wins out of it and widened our lead a little bit. Obviously, we knew it would be a mental grind going into it, but I think we’re better coming out of it.”

Despite Sunday’s loss, the Cardinals’ starting pitching and offense were bright spots over the weekend.

On Sunday night, Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed four runs (three earned) in four-plus innings. His short night might have been cause for concern in any other game, but the other three Cardinals starters this weekend set an effective bullpen up well to take over Sunday night’s game. Four relievers covered five innings, with Mike Mayers giving up the only run in the sixth.

The Cardinals starters covered 20 2/3 innings in the first three games of this series. Those three starters -- Dakota Hudson, Michael Wacha and Miles Mikolas -- are going to be crucial this month as the Cardinals surge toward the playoffs. The length the Cardinals got out of them came at the right time, not only during the back-to-back doubleheaders, but also down the stretch.

“Ponce got us four, we’d like to have a couple more, but we were able to manage the bullpen and keep guys fresh,” Shildt said. “Because we’re going to need those guys.”

The Cardinals couldn’t muster much off of the Reds pitching on Sunday night, but the offense showed what it’s capable of doing in its three wins. Two walk-off victories -- by Matt Carpenter on Saturday night and Harrison Bader in Sunday afternoon's 4-3 victory -- as well as offensive production throughout the lineup, showed the strength and depth of the Cardinals’ offense.

“We had two walk-off wins,” Shildt said. “Guys fought the whole way. Great at-bats, great at-bats tonight. Everyone in the dugout felt like we were going to finish that game out in the ninth tonight. … That was a really impressive display of good, clean baseball and mental and physical toughness that, quite honestly, is very special. I’m very proud of the group, and it’s a great trait. It’s a winning habit.”