MILWAUKEE -- Though hardly the season start they envisioned upon their arrival in Milwaukee, the Cardinals jetted to Pittsburgh comfortable that another 158 games remain on their 2019 schedule. The one problem? Fifteen of those project to feature Christian Yelich.
The Cards had little success neutralizing the National League’s reigning MVP, who, in addition to tying a Major League record by homering in all four games, delivered the knockout blow with a two-run double off closer Jordan Hicks in the ninth. The hit capped a four-run comeback against the Cardinals’ top three relievers and left St. Louis stung with a 5-4 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park on Sunday.
“I’ve never seen anyone this good at baseball for this long,” Ryan Braun said of Yelich, who reached base 12 times in the four-game series. “I mean, maybe [Barry] Bonds in his prime. As great as [Mike] Trout is. I’ve seen [Albert] Pujols. I’ve never seen anyone this good for this long. If you go back, we’re looking at a pretty large sample size. I think everybody should take the time to appreciate it, because what we’re witnessing is greatness.”
The Cardinals were left more befuddled than impressed after being on the receiving end of Yelich’s monstrous series. He became the sixth player in MLB history to homer in the first four games of a season, hitting No. 4 off starter Michael Wacha on Sunday.
Yelich has now reached base safely in 17 straight games against St. Louis and driven in 18 runs while blasting seven homers in his last 11 games against the Cards. He’s the only player ever to homer against the Cardinals in five straight games.
“I’d say nuisance is being kind,” manager Mike Shildt said. “We have to figure out a way to combat what he’s doing because he’s clearly more than a thorn in our side.”
Andrew Miller, signed to be the kryptonite to Yelich and the rest of the division’s imposing left-handed bats, couldn’t entice him to swing in a key seventh-inning spot. That set Milwaukee up to score twice and pull within one. It also ensured that Hicks’ first save opportunity would include a trip back through the top of the Brewers’ order in the ninth.
With Yelich due up third, the inning rapidly unraveled. Ben Gamel placed a two-strike double into the left-field corner. Lorenzo Cain chopped a ball off Hicks’ glove for an infield single. Yelich then sliced a 101.8 mph sinker into left-center to score both.
“Just trying to get a strike,” Hicks said afterward. “But he put a good bat on the ball.”
While the Cardinals revisit their approach against Yelich, here are six other takeaways from the club’s opening series:
The rotation needs to be better
Wacha ended things on an upswing, but as a unit, the Cardinals’ starters weren’t all that sharp. Wacha’s start was the only one to extend beyond the fifth, and the four starters combined to serve up eight home runs. With Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson giving up three apiece, it marked the second time in franchise history that the Cardinals had multiple pitchers allow at least three home runs in the first three games of a season.
Goldschmidt changes the look of the offense
Not only did Paul Goldschmidt become the first player in Major League history to have a three-homer performance in one of his first two games with a club, but he also reached base a total of eight times as the team’s two-hole hitter. Goldschmidt already has the same number of home runs that he did through his first 44 games with the D-backs last season. He’s driven in seven.
The power potential is strong
Goldschmidt wasn’t the only Cardinal player who made Miller Park look tiny during the series. St. Louis matched Milwaukee with nine home runs, including three on Sunday. Paul DeJong’s two-run blast in the fourth was followed by back-to-back homers in the fifth from Matt Carpenter and Goldschmidt off Brewers starter Corbin Burnes. It was an encouraging show of power for a team that averaged 1.26 homers per game a year ago.
The bullpen blueprint was tested
Sunday set up just how the Cardinals envisioned when they signed Miller and decided to plug Alex Reyes into the bullpen. This time, though, the best laid plans didn’t produce the desired outcome, as Reyes, Miller and Hicks all got nicked. But there was plenty to like about the relievers’ work the rest of the series. John Gant showcased his value as the bullpen’s swiss-army knife, while Dominic Leone and Mike Mayers showed their value in middle-inning spots.
The Cardinals need more contact
St. Louis struck out 15 times on Sunday and 47 times in the series. That meant that one-third of their series at-bats ended without a ball put in play. One day after Josh Hader nailed a save with an immaculate inning, Burnes opened his first Major League start by registering his first nine outs via strikeout. The Cardinals’ offense finished with double-digit punchouts in all four games.
The Brewers remain a force in the NL Central
“Look, you just went four games toe-to-toe and still couldn’t say who is the better team,” Shildt said. “The standings will say different, and that’s ultimately what matters. But I wouldn’t trade teams.”