Wetherholt sets tone as Cardinals again beat rivals at Wrigley

CHICAGO -- The boos arrived before JJ Wetherholt ever dug into the batter's box.

His response took exactly one pitch.

The Cardinals' rookie second baseman turned on a 90.4 mph fastball from Shota Imanaga and launched it the opposite way into the left-field basket at Wrigley Field, silencing a majority of the home crowd before many had even found their seats.

Seven innings later, Wetherholt was still doing the little things.

Another opposite-field hit. Another mature at-bat. Another defensive decision that won't make the highlight reel but might have saved a big inning.

At some point, it stops feeling like a rookie enjoying a hot stretch. It starts feeling like one of the Cardinals' best players.

"He just has a really good game plan and sticks to it," manager Oliver Marmol said. "He's steady in every at-bat of the game. Defensively, he's done a tremendous job for us, but offensively we're seeing him continue to take some really good strides."

Saturday's 3-0 victory over the Cubs became Wetherholt's latest showcase.

The 23-year-old reached base four times, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and his seventh three-hit game of the season. His leadoff homer -- the fourth of his rookie campaign -- set a Cardinals rookie record, while all three hits came to the opposite field, another reminder that his approach often looks far more experienced than someone playing in just his 82nd Major League game.

That approach isn't accidental.

"I think a lot of it's just preparation and work that you do pregame," Wetherholt said. "It allows it to come out during the game."

The opposite field has become a weapon for him.

Three times Saturday, Wetherholt let the baseball travel before driving it into left field. The first cleared the basket. The second split the gap for a double. The third was lined into left for yet another base hit.

"That's usually what I'm trying to do," Wetherholt said. "There are some guys where it's not the easiest to go that way and you've got to do something different, but that's usually what I'm trying to do."

For teammates, none of it feels surprising anymore.

"I mean, just another game for JJ," shortstop Masyn Winn said with a grin. "We've gotten used to it at this point. He's unbelievable."

Winn sees the parts fans don't.

The conversations between pitches. The positioning. The constant exchange of information between the middle-infield tandem.

"I feel like he's just so poised," Winn said. "It's fun to play up the middle with him. He's super baseball intelligent. We're talking throughout the game. He's talking about pitchers, situations on defense. He's got a crazy feel for the barrel, a crazy feel for the strike zone. He just goes out there and prepares every single at-bat."

Perhaps the most telling play of Wetherholt's night never involved his bat.

With the Cardinals leading 3-0 in the eighth, Michael Busch chopped a ground ball that forced Wetherholt to range toward first base. He easily could have tried to spin and force the lead runner at second, the type of difficult play that brings crowds to their feet when it works.

Instead, he took the guaranteed out at first.

The decision barely registered in the box score. It didn't go unnoticed in the dugout.

"That's how big innings start," Marmol said. "That goes under the radar easily, and that's a very big out from a decision-making standpoint."

Wetherholt admitted afterward he briefly considered trying for two before quickly realizing the game situation called for something simpler.

"I just wanted to make sure we got an out," he said. "Not let things turn into a big inning."

It was another example of a maturity that continues to show up in moments both big and small.

Saturday also came less than 24 hours after Wetherholt learned he would not be heading to Philadelphia for next week's All-Star Game despite putting together one of the best all-around rookie seasons in baseball.

His response?

Three hits. A home run. Another walk. Another win.

"That's what you want to do as a player," Marmol said. "He is deserving of it. He's an incredible second baseman, and he's going to have a lot of shots at doing that."

Even the Wrigley crowd may have helped.

As Wetherholt stepped to the plate for his first at-bat, Cubs fans showered him with boos after watching him play a starring role in St. Louis' series-opening rout the day before.

Marmol smiled when asked what he thought of the reception.

"Sense of honor," he said. "That's what you want when you know you're actually doing something cool."

Wetherholt certainly didn't mind.

"The environment kind of gets you amped up," he said. "I got chills."

One swing later, the boos had a different sound.

And one game later, Wetherholt had added another chapter to a rookie season that is becoming harder to describe as simply impressive.

It has become expected.