Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins
Carpenter is 2-19 this week and the Cardinals are 5-1. It's not a one man show.
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Yes, he was on an unreal run, but it's not like we are talking about Bo Hart here, the man has had a solid history of hitting.
You are right about the supporting cast. I did a cursory glance at straight OPS figures for the past 30 days (roughly aligned with Shildt's entrance) and the only Cardinal regular position player who has been hitting in the "average range" is Gyorko who was at .742,
Wong, .919, Bader, .909, Carpenter .1126, DeJong .878, Ozuna .791, ONeill, .822, Martinez .818, Molina, .766 (slightly above average).
The improved defense of having DeJong, Wong, and Bader up the middle coupled with solid pitching (and pitching staff use) is what has made this run possible. They are hot hitters right now for sure, but you can point to defense and pitching that has helped close that gap quick as well.
30 games is not a season, but like poker, if I'm going to get lucky, I would rather it be when the blinds get big than when they are small.