As the Cardinals continue to plug Johan Oviedo into their rotation with the rash of injuries, they’ve looked for their 23-year-old, recently graduated of prospect status, to cease nibbling around the zone and just attack it. They want Oviedo to trust his pitches, multiple that are plus when working at their apex, because “it's a good recipe, throwing those strikes,” said manager Mike Shildt.

That was simply the hope. In turn, Oviedo has, quickly and quietly, turned into the best strike-thrower on the Cardinals’ staff.

That was no more apparent than during Wednesday afternoon’s 1-0 win at Busch Stadium, helping propel St. Louis to a series sweep over the Marlins thanks to Yadier Molina’s heroics -- the club’s second straight day with a walk-off victory. Oviedo, as crisp and as confident as he’s looked in his big league career, tossed seven scoreless innings -- his longest career outing -- did not walk a single batter and likely had juice to go further.

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“I can see him being a frontline guy with the stuff and the demeanor and the work ethic he has,” Shildt said. “We’ll just take it brick by brick to get there and don't try to jump the line, so to speak, but just keep building like he has.”

The result of building such confidence was one of the finest outings by a Cardinals starter this year, and the club’s fourth consecutive quality start. With 63 of his 87 pitches going for strikes (72.4 percent), Oviedo turned in the third-highest strike percentage in an outing by a St. Louis starter this year (minimum 50 pitches), behind Miles Mikolas’ lone start (72.9 percent) and … his own outing, two starts prior, with 75.4 percent against the Reds. At a minimum of 70 pitches, it’s the highest.

“Every start, he’s getting better and better,” Molina said. “He’s getting more confidence, he’s attacking the zone more. The offspeed -- the curveball and slider -- were very sharp. He did a great job for us.”

Strike zone found, Oviedo remains on the prowl for his first career win. That’s because former fellow Cardinals farmhand -- and friend -- Sandy Alcantara held St. Louis to just five hits across eight scoreless frames, impressively working around a pair of Marlins errors before one caught up with him in the ninth. Molina, his catcher for one game in 2017, made him pay with an unearned run in the ninth.

Is Alcantara, a tall, hard-throwing righty -- hitting 100 mph as late as the ninth inning -- and an All-Star in 2019 someone Oviedo wants to emulate?

“Yeah, I mean, I've seen him working really hard in his career, mentally, physically,” said Oviedo, who met Alcantara in 2016 and got to know him well. “... You want to grind every day and at some point be a starter like he is. That's something to look up to and keep following.”

Is that within the realm of possibility?

“Yes,” Shildt said. “I don’t think there’s any question. I don't want to put any more on him [than] needs to be put on him at a young part of his career, but I think we've already seen that transition take place of a guy that is a better version of himself this year than he was last year; he’s a better version of himself now than he was three starts ago.”

Impressing the Cardinals most is the head on Oviedo’s shoulders. Always one to seek out feedback, always one looking to methods to improve, he’s done just that over the course of the season. In three starts around several callups in May, Oviedo conceded 11 walks and nine earned runs in 10 1/3 innings (7.84 ERA). In three starts since: 3.52 ERA, three walks, 13 strikeouts.

Chief among those Oviedo has turned to is Molina. After the catcher’s rough defensive inning in Oviedo’s last start in Chicago likely cost the right-hander the chance for a win, they synched up for one of the most efficient outings of this Cardinals season.

So it was only fitting that Molina played hero on Wednesday.

“These last three [starts], he’s always telling me, ‘Hey, this one worked better, you’re doing this, you did this,’” Oviedo said. “And even if I did some bad things, he tells me. … To have Yadi behind the plate, you have 100 percent confidence.”

Perhaps most important for Oviedo’s afternoon was the context surrounding it. The Cardinals, now owners of four consecutive quality starts from their rotation, appear to be turning a corner from their skid leading into the Marlins series. They have won three consecutive games for the first time since May 27-29.

Oviedo’s effort was primed to be for naught on Wednesday, though, with the offense still searching to find a consistent footing, especially with Nolan Arenado receiving a day off, Edmundo Sosa exiting early and Tommy Edman out with his own injury.

The Cardinals still ultimately played winner. Oviedo did not. But in several facets, he still did.