Carlson brings bat, glove to historic debut
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In the history of the Cardinals¡¯ organization, there had only been two 21-year-old players to bat cleanup in a postseason game before Dylan Carlson hit there on Wednesday.
You might have heard of the other two: Stan Musial (1942) and Albert Pujols (2001).
Carlson has had most of his experience come at the top of the lineup in his professional hitting career, but that changed Sunday when he debuted in the cleanup spot. Manager Mike Shildt liked the way Carlson had been taking at-bats and knew his demeanor wouldn¡¯t change, regardless of where he hit. So, Shildt put the switch-hitting outfielder behind Paul Goldschmidt, the Cardinals¡¯ hottest hitter this season, again in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Padres on Wednesday at Petco Park.
| Game | Date | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Sept. 30 | STL 7, SD 4 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 1 | SD 11, STL 9 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 2 | SD 4, STL 0 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Judging by Carlson¡¯s performance in St. Louis¡¯ 7-4 victory, he might have found a new home in the lineup.
Carlson went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored, plus a stellar catch in left field in the bottom of the seventh inning. Carlson is the youngest Cardinals player to record two hits and two runs in his first postseason game since Joe ¡°Ducky¡± Medwick in 1934.
¡°[Shildt] told me they¡¯re going to put me back in there, and just keep taking professional at-bats,¡± Carlson said. ¡°Just keeping it simple, going out there, execute my plan, and the results just came with it. To have the confidence from those guys behind me is a big deal.¡±
The diving catch Carlson made came on Manny Machado¡¯s fly ball to the left-center gap to open the bottom of the seventh. Carlson got a great jump on the ball, which had a 40 percent catch probability. He had to travel 52 feet in 3.6 seconds, according to Statcast.
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Throughout the night, Carlson looked calm and collected. He contributed at the plate and in the field like a veteran player, not a rookie making his postseason debut. The nerves might have been there, but he didn¡¯t show it.
¡°That¡¯s the point of hitting him where we¡¯re hitting him,¡± Shildt said. ¡°Just go play and enjoy the game. It¡¯s an opportunity, not a threat. Go play and enjoy what you do. It¡¯s wonderful, fun playoff baseball. Just go be you and let your ability play and trust yourself. It¡¯s good to see him be able to do that at a young age, but he¡¯s a mature young man.¡±
Wainwright's past at Petco Park
Adam Wainwright has been in the Majors a long time, so he has good and bad memories from ballparks all over the league. There are a few that stand out from Petco Park, where he will make his 15th postseason start and 28th playoff appearance in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on Thursday looking to help the Cardinals advance to the NL Division Series.
San Diego was where Wainwright threw his first pitch of the postseason, in the 2006 NL Division Series, as the Cardinals¡¯ closer. He pitched in Game 1 and notched his first playoff save in Game 2 at Petco Park as the Cardinals knocked the Padres out before going on to win the World Series that year. The Padres haven¡¯t been in the playoffs since, while this year is Wainwright¡¯s seventh postseason since ¡¯06.
¡°I got a lot of memories here,¡± Wainwright said. ¡°Pitched a lot of good games here, lost a couple of really close games here. Had some postseason success here. ¡ First time I ever raised my arms up in the air after I got an out in any game I can remember. Thought I had my career-ending game here. There¡¯s a lot of stuff you can talk about, and when you play for 15 years, you always have memories in all the parks you go to, but certainly there are some very unique ones here.¡±
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It was after a start at Petco Park in May 2018 that Wainwright thought his career was over. He returned to St. Louis after a 2 1/3-inning appearance brought back elbow pain that he dealt with the rest of the year. Since then, he¡¯s turned his career around, and his successful 2020 -- as well as his postseason experience -- is why he¡¯ll start Game 2.
¡°I just can¡¯t say it enough,¡± Wainwright said. ¡°If someone had told me in ¡¯18 that I would be starting a playoff game, a pivotal game in the postseason against the Padres at Petco in 2020, I would have bet big money against. It just is a tremendous blessing. A complete surprise, honestly. And I¡¯m just going to try to take advantage of this opportunity, because it¡¯s an opportunity I never thought I was going to have again.¡±
Hudson, Martšªnez updates
Dakota Hudson had successful Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Monday in St. Louis, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said, and now the test will be his rehabilitation over the next year. Hudson will have a quiet few weeks before beginning that process.
Mozeliak also said Carlos Martínez is officially out for the rest of 2020, as the right-hander returned to the Dominican Republic to recover from his left oblique strain. The Cardinals have closed their workouts at Busch Stadium, and that rules out any hope that Martšªnez could return to help the Cardinals if they play deep into October. The players the Cardinals have with them in their postseason pool are who the team will consider for future playoff series rosters if needed.
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