Sigh of relief: Herrera gets 1st XBH in over 2 weeks as Cards flip trend

ST. LOUIS -- Iván Herrera’s face said it all.

Despite his first-career All-Star Game appearance landing in the middle of it, the Cardinals' catcher has been mired in one of the most challenging skids of his Major League career for more than a month.

He came into Saturday’s game against the Reds at Busch Stadium batting .163 with a .435 OPS since June 23. The ordinarily disciplined on-base machine had racked up 25 strikeouts in those 26 games, posting just two extra-base hits in that span.

So, when the Cards’ embattled batsman roped a two-run double to kickstart what became a big sixth inning of a 7-0 Cardinals win, he let out the dictionary definition of a sigh of relief while standing atop second base.

“I don’t remember the last time I hit the ball hard,” Herrera smiled, some of the weight lifted from his shoulders.

Two innings before the payoff of his first extra-base hit since July 7, Herrera led off the fourth with a sinking liner into center field, struck with an exit velocity of 106.4 mph, the second-hardest-hit batted ball of the game, by either team.

Reds center fielder TJ Friedl took a hit away with a sliding snare, but the moment still served as a building block for Herrera.

“I’ve been feeling like I could not hit the ball hard,” Herrera said. “The second at-bat, it gave me some confidence to do that. I was just working on something new, and it paid off.”

Herrera described that the tweak to his game at the plate was mechanical in nature -- one to which he may want to stick with after Saturday. He finished the day 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

“Those are the types of at-bats you need,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “And he did it the way he wanted to. Even that line drive for an out, that was a really, really good swing through the big part of the field. Then, shoots it through the four-hole. So, those are the style of at-bats that he needs to kind of allow it to click.”

Herrera’s double catapulted the Cards to a six-run inning as St. Louis chased Reds starter Hunter Greene from the game. With the team’s recent form having mirrored the struggles of its All-Star designated hitter, the Cardinals needed Herrera’s breakthrough just as much as he did.

Given Herrera’s importance to the success of the team, those thoughts are really one and the same.

“I’ve seen him hit since 2021, like, in Double-A,” Alec Burleson said. “Everybody goes through it. Everybody has stretches, long or short, that they don’t feel their best. … He just continued to push. He continued to put the work in, and obviously, we need that guy. He looked really good today.”

In a miserable stretch like the Cardinals have seen of late, you take your runs any way you can get them.

The first St. Louis tally on Saturday came courtesy of the defensive misadventures of Elly De La Cruz. The Reds’ star shortstop committed a fielding error on a grounder and then didn’t get back quickly on a line drive, helping the Cards scratch across a first-inning run.

But that has been a hallmark of several Cardinals losses lately: come into an isolated instance of scoring, followed by leaving some meat on the bone before retreating back into a lull that ultimately proves costly over the course of nine innings.

Saturday, the Cardinals were able to flip the trend.

Adding to the vibes of the outburst offensively was starter Andre Pallante delivering his best outing of the season. Pallante -- who entered Saturday’s start with a better lifetime ERA against the Reds (2.41) than against any other National League foe -- carved up the Cincinnati lineup for seven scoreless innings, tying his season high with eight strikeouts.

Pallante attributed some of his success against the Reds to the matchup benefitting his style of pitching in the way his repertoire combats the strengths and weaknesses of the Cincinnati order.

But he also acknowledged that staying stagnant and resting on that perceived advantage wouldn’t get him very far over the long run.

“I see the adjustments they’re trying to make when they face me,” Pallante said. “Trying to be ready for those adjustments. I think the growth I’ve made as a pitcher has allowed me to stay competitive with them. Because if I wasn’t making changes, then, they would be able to crush me.

“So, just continue to make the right adjustments to stay ahead.”