Down 2 runs in the 10th, Cards storm back on Herrera's walk-off

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol succinctly summed up what Iván Herrera means to the team after Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Cubs.

“When he’s good, we’re good,” Marmol said.

Herrera, a first-time All-Star this season, was certainly good, as the Cardinals snapped a three-game losing streak against their rival.

Herrera had three of the Cardinals’ seven hits, none of which was bigger than his last swing -- a walk-off two-run double off Cubs reliever Trent Thornton in the 10th inning to cap one of the most dramatic wins of the season for St. Louis.

“I felt good,” Herrera said. “You know, after falling [behind] 2-0 there in the 10th, it was huge to come back and win that game. We've been going through a rough patch, like we did before, and we come back from it. So it's pretty good that we come back, and winning this game is just great for us.”

The swing offered a respite from a 7-14 swoon the club has endured since July 6.

“He's been battling quite a bit to get right again,” Marmol said. “And we saw some really good swings out of him today. That was a big swing at the end there. We needed it. We've been on a tough little stretch, so a win is important. But to be able to do it in the way we did it tonight is extra.”

The club’s struggles, not coincidentally, have mirrored Herrera’s offensive slump.

Since July 7, his batting average dipped from .255 to .242 entering Tuesday’s game. Herrera has two home runs and seven RBIs during that span.

“It just feels great that I came through there,” Herrera said. “We haven't been playing the best baseball like early in the year, so definitely steal that game, and hopefully that put us on the right track.”

Herrera credits some extra reps at the Driveline Baseball facility when the team was in Arizona right after the All-Star break for helping him get back on track.

“They talked to me about what I was doing wrong, and I went in the cage and I felt really uncomfortable the first two, three games, because I had a bad habit with my swing, and it was just going straight down,” Herrera said. “And now I see the ball in there. … Try to go up, move my hands a little lower, and it's been working.”

Herrera and the Cardinals hope Wednesday’s win, which brought the team back to .500 (54-54), is a sign of things to come.

“There's still a lot of time, just struggling to get back on track," Herrera said. "We’ve been doing good, just continue doing that. Still plenty of time for that, but that’s got to start now. We can't wait three, four weeks to start winning.”