Fans gathered to sing, dance, and get excited for the St. Louis Cardinals first home game of the season April 4, 2024. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
With nearly half a lineup worth of position players sidelined by various injuries or ailments, the Cardinals rallied in the seventh inning and earned a come-from-behind win of at least three runs in a home opener for the first time since 2005.
A five-run seventh inning that started with critical at-bats by veteran cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado turned pivotal thanks to the clutch hitting of rookie catcher Ivan Herrera, second baseman Nolan Gorman and designated hitter Alec Burleson as the Cardinals scratched their way to an 8-5 win over the Miami Marlins in front of an announced sellout crowd of 47,273 Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
Four of the Cardinals’ 10 hits came in the seventh, including a double by Gorman and a triple by rookie shortstop Masyn Winn that knocked in runs. The Cardinals had just three hits in the game prior to the seventh.
“It wasn’t easy early on, but we were able to string it together and figure out ways to get on base and then drive guys in,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
“This offense is going to be completely fine. We have different ways of scoring. We’re not going to have to depend on just the homer and the long ball. You can lay down some bunts. You can run the bases properly. You can take some walks. We’ve got some versatility throughout the lineup, so it should be fun.”
Herrera went 2 for 5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Nolan Arenado went 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Gorman (1 for 3, walk) drove in those two crucial runs in the seventh inning, and Winn went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
The Cardinals (4-4) have scored eight runs or more in three consecutive home openers — the second time they’ve done so in franchise history (1928-30 was the first). They also dropped the Marlins, managed by former Cardinals player and coach Skip Schumaker, to 0-8 this season.
Cardinals starting catcher Willson Contreras (bone bruise on left hand) and utility player Brendan Donovan (right arm bruise) were both unable to play after they were hit by pitches Wednesday against the San Diego Padres.
The 10 hit batsmen for the Cardinals are their most through eight games in franchise history.
Add Contreras and Donovan to Cardinals position players on the injured list, which includes projected starting left fielder Lars Nootbaar, projected starting center fielder Tommy Edman and veteran infielder and left-handed hitter Matt Carpenter (right oblique strain), and the club relied heavily on its young core to start its first homestand of the season on a winning note.
“We’re a good team,” Gorman said. “We have a lot of confidence in every single person in this clubhouse. I mean, it doesn’t really matter who is in the lineup. I don’t think we ever feel like we’re out of a game.”
Cardinals veteran starting pitcher Lance Lynn didn’t make it through five innings in his first home-opening start. The right-hander allowed four runs, which all scored via home runs, in 4⅔ innings. He allowed eight hits and one walk, and he also struck out seven.
Lynn came out in the fifth inning after Josh Bell hit a two-run home run to break a 1-1 tie and then St. Louis native Jake Burger mashed his second home run of the game to give the Marlins a 4-1 advantage.
The Cardinals scored a pair of runs in the fifth thanks to a throwing error that helped set up RBIs by Goldschmidt and Arenado (double), but the Marlins added a run to their total against reliever Matthew Liberatore in the sixth.
The Marlins held a 5-3 advantage going into the seventh.
Goldschmidt reached on a fielding error by Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez to start the seventh, then Arenado followed with an infield single on a ball Burger made a backhanded play just to knock down at third base.
That put two men on and no outs for Herrera, the 23-year-old who became the youngest Cardinals catcher to bat cleanup in a home opener since 1900.
Herrera, who hit his first major league home run in the second inning, singled to drive in Goldschmidt and bring the Cardinals within a run with two men on base.
The Marlins turned to left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi to face the left-handed-hitting Gorman with no outs and two runners on base. Gorman, who entered the day with a slightly higher career OPS against left-handed pitchers than right-handers, punched a first-pitch slider from Nardi down the right field line that scored both runners and gave the Cardinals a 6-5 edge.
Two batters later, left-handed-hitting Burleson singled to drive in Gorman with an insurance run. Then Winn swatted a 1-2 fastball from Nardi to right field, where it glanced off the glove of right fielder Jesus Sanchez for Winn’s first career triple. Winn, 22, became the youngest Cardinals shortstop with a hit in a home opener since Rogers Hornsby in 1918.
“I feel like it’s going to be really hard for guys to get through our lineup,” Winn said. “I think we’ve got so many different weapons, so many ways to beat you. We’ve got guys that can get on base, guys that can hit for power, guys with a lot of speed. I think just having that mixture is just great for the team.”
The Cardinals bullpen didn’t allow a run after the sixth inning, and closer Ryan Helsley picked up his second save of the season.
After the game, Contreras lauded the performance of the Cardinals’ young position players.
“I think we have a really good balance from veterans and young players,” Contreras said. “The young players, they’re really tough mentally. That’s what they showed me in spring training. That’s what they’re showing right now. The energy is there. They’re taking good at-bats.”
The Cardinals starting lineup featured rookie outfielders Michael Siani and Victor Scott II as well as rookies Herrera at catcher and Winn at shortstop. They also started Burleson as the designated hitter, Jordan Walker in right field and Gorman at second base. None of those players have three full years in the majors.
Their performance came on a day when Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak pushed back against the notion of the club having an older roster with five starting pitchers older than 32 and a position player group that includes veteran position players Brandon Crawford, Carpenter, Goldschmidt and Arenado.
“I think we got beat up a lot for kind of an older roster, but it’s really not,” Mozeliak said in the dugout before the game. “There’s some young players that are stepping up in big situations and getting an opportunity.”
On cue, the young players delivered in a comeback victory.
Carpenter described their performance as “a big statement” considering the atmosphere, pressure and all the added pomp and circumstance of opening day.
“You think about what the lineup looks like on most days, it’s for sure a young group,” Carpenter said. “The veteran presence in here from a position player standpoint, outside of Nolan and Paul, a lot of that comes from the bench with me and Brandon. So yeah, we’re calling on young guys to contribute in a big way. They’ve done a great job of it.
“Today was a great example of it. Big hits from all those guys, and late — in a clutch situation with the game on the line. Any time you can get hits with leverage like that late in the game as a young player, it’s a big deal. Today was a big win. It could be one of those wins that defines your season if that’s the kind of team we’re going to be, that can come back late.”
The Cardinals clinched a series victory over the Miami Marlins with a win on Saturday at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera easily beats a throw home to Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt as he comes in to score one of two runs on a two-run double by second baseman Nolan Gorman that put the Cards ahead for good in the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ home opener Thursday, April, 4, 2024, at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, back, jumps in celebration with second baseman Nolan Gorman as the Cardinals beat the Marlins 8-5 in the Cardinals’ home opener on Thursday, April, 4, 2024, at Busch Stadium.