ST. LOUIS -- How long can one continue to describe the Cardinals as a team that doesn’t profile to hit for much power before it’s time to reconsider one’s priors?
Because now that the Cardinals have broken out the home run chain, it might be time for this reporter to capitulate.
Facing the team that leads the National League in home runs, the Cardinals hit two of their own on Friday night at Busch Stadium, powering past the Dodgers, 7-2.
The blasts by Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson brought the Cardinals to 43 home runs on the season, nestling the club among MLB’s top five as of the conclusion of its game Friday.
Gorman pounded a 3-2 Emmet Sheehan fastball over the wall in right field for his fifth home run of the season in the first inning. The pitch, a fastball that topped out at just 92.9 mph, was up above the strike zone, but Gorman timed it up with an authoritative upper cut swing for a two-run home run.
He mashed the tater with an exit velocity of 107.6 mph -- and promptly donned the apparent accessory now associated with the team’s home run prowess.
What do you get for the team that has suddenly vaulted into the upper echelon of home run-hitting teams in the league? A chain that reads ”GOT THAT DAWG IN ME,” of course.
Burleson wore the chain, too, after hitting his fifth of the season in the third inning.