Cardinals display their 'superpower' after hat controversy: 'our ability to unify'

DENVER -- The middle tilt of the three-game set between the Cardinals and Rockies gave new meaning to the colloquial term for a baseball game with a notable act of solidarity from players on both sides of the diamond – an act that could pay dividends well beyond the 10-7 loss the Cardinals suffered as the series leveled.

A day after rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon was given a directive by home-plate umpire and crew chief Doug Eddings to straighten the tilt of his cap during his Major League debut in Friday’s series opener, players, coaches and fans wore their hats at a distinctive tilt, sending a powerful message to the rookie righty.

“I felt big support from my teammates,” Rincon said of the gesture, speaking with the assistance of bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran, who interpreted for him. “Obviously, when you are together, like this group, we're gonna be much better.”

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Manager Oliver Marmol has come to expect that quality from his team.

“It’s a real tight-knit group,” Marmol said. “I love the fact that regardless of what's going on, they always have each other's backs.”

Eddings told reporters Friday night that Rincon wasn’t breaking any rule, but was crossing the line regarding an “unwritten rule” about proper uniform etiquette.

Eddings had lengthy conversations with Marmol, whom he ejected Friday night for arguing about the tilted cap directive, and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer before Saturday’s game, and he stopped Rincon when the pitchers were making their way to the bullpen in the middle of the first inning to apologize for his role in the events around Rincon’s Friday-night debut.

Eddings spoke to Rincon without the aid of a translator, and Rincon couldn’t follow everything the umpire said to him.

“I understood a couple words, and it looked like he apologized to me for what happened last night,” Rincon said. “He also told me good luck with the rest of my career as a big leaguer. I told him, ‘Don't worry, it's nothing personal, and everything stays here.’”

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Rincon pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning Saturday and recorded his first strikeout, but struggled in the seventh, allowing a hit, a walk, a hit batsman, and another single before exiting without recording an out -- but with his spirits still high.

“It's a dream come true to be in the big leagues,” Rincon said. “Obviously stuff like that happens. It's OK. The game goes fast, but my dream came true, and I feel really happy about it.”

Eddings was not made available to speak to reporters after Saturday’s game, but regarding his conversation with Rincon, an MLB spokesperson said the “gesture by Doug on the field speaks for itself.”

The Cards took the early lead Saturday, scoring three runs on a pair of homers – a solo shot from Joshua Báez in the second and a fifth-inning two-run blast from Iván Herrera, his second of the series.

The way starter Matthew Liberatore was pitching, it looked like the three runs might hold up. He held Colorado hitless through four, retiring the first 10 batters he faced before issuing a walk, but he let up five runs in the fifth inning before yielding to the ‘pen.

“[I was] hitting my spots, commanding both breaking balls,” Liberatore said of his first four innings. “Fuel was good. Everything felt really good tonight.”

The quick unraveling of an ugly six-run fifth inning, which included six hits, a walk, two wild pitches and an error, is a pattern that has plagued Liberatore throughout his 5-14 season.

“I wasn't able to reel it back in,” Liberatore said. “It keeps happening in slightly different ways, which makes it incredibly frustrating.

“I'm hungry to keep growing and keep learning, and I've certainly done a lot of that this year,” Liberatore added. “But it'd be nice to put it all together for a full outing once.”

Marmol attributed the collapse to multiple factors beyond the pitcher.

“You're trying to limit the big inning,” Marmol said. “He's got some responsibility in that, but there's others involved as well.”

Liberatore praised his teammates for embracing Rincon on a tough night, keeping perspective and hinting at the Cards’ key to success down the stretch.

“The one superpower we've had through this whole season is our ability to unify and really stand up for all the guys we have in this clubhouse and to have each other's backs,” Liberatore said.