ST. LOUIS -- By launching a second-inning home run into the Cardinals bullpen on Saturday, Nathan Church demonstrated the latest piece of evidence to suggest that anyone writing him off as a glove-first outfielder might need to recalibrate.
If those expectations had not yet been adjusted by the time the seventh inning rolled around, Church issued a reminder by doing it again -- a two-run shot, right back into that same home-team bullpen beyond the right-field wall.
Though his heroics weren’t enough to power a Cardinals win as St. Louis fell to the Mariners, 11-9, Church’s first-career multi-home run game put him at four home runs on the season.
After his marquee day at the plate, Church saw his OPS soar to a rock-solid .760 -- which positions him as a sudden force in the bottom third of the Cardinal lineup.
“He’s an offensive threat,” Victor Scott II said. ”He does a really good job of putting the bat on the ball. He’s got a good grasp on his approach right now. His [swing] path is really good. Just in conversations with him, those are the things that we talk about all the time.”
Of course, none of this serves to minimize the game-changing capabilities of Church’s defense, as those residing in the visitors' bullpen quickly came to learn.
Four innings after Church made landfall into the Cardinals bullpen with his first homer of the day, he kept another ball out of the Mariners bullpen by leaping skyward for an impressive robbery of Mitch Garver in the top of the sixth inning.
It was reminiscent of when Church performed a similar feat on a deep drive by Tampa Bay’s Ryan Vilade on Opening Day, taking away extra bases at virtually the same spot in front of the left field wall at Busch.
The sudden disgruntled reactions from the occupants of the Seattle bullpen -- in juxtaposition to Victor Scott II’s exuberance in support of his outfield-mate -- really tied the moment together.
“I was just saying ‘Let’s go,’” Scott shared of his animated reaction after the play. “That was pretty sick.”
Church carries a pretty matter-of-fact mindset into his feats of defensive athleticism.
“First rule of thumb, just get to the wall as fast as you can,” Church said. “If there’s a play to be made, then jump and try and catch it.”
So, when it came to determining which baseballs should land in the bullpen and which should not, Church showed uncanny discernment.
If batting, put the ball into the bullpen. If fielding, keep the ball out of the bullpen.
Church ended the day a perfect 3-for-3 on that front.
“Really, really good day for him,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Robbing the homer, just continues to play really good defense. Then, the two homers, man. The swings are looking better and better. The confidence, it’s continuing to grow -- which is what he needs.
“Both sides of the ball, man, he’s starting to settle in, and it’s looking really good.”
As the Cardinals navigate left fielder Lars Nootbaar’s stint on the 60-day injured list -- he will remain out of big league action through at least Memorial Day as he works back to health following double-heel surgery in the offseason -- Marmol has worked several players into the outfield mix through the season’s first month.
The manager has found time for José Fermín and Thomas Saggese in the outfield, with Church playing plenty in left while occasionally spelling Scott in center field to foster more opportunities for the righties when the matchup dictates it.
But as a left-handed bat who has displayed power at the plate as well as athleticism and acumen in the field, Church is a natural candidate for consistent run on the strong side of a crowded platoon in the weeks ahead.
Church is making the most of his early-season showcase. While his defensive profile provides a strong floor for his inclusion in the daily lineup, more of the types of damaging swings that he produced on Saturday could reshape the conversation surrounding a player who is evolving into a key figure for the Cardinals during the early portion of this season.
“It’s going to be a combination of being able to take those types of swings -- not always a homer, obviously -- but just the path he took today,” Marmol said. “And then, controlling the strike zone allows him to do more of that.”