ST. LOUIS -- While there were plenty of smiles emanating from right-hander Andre Pallante’s strong bounce-back performance on Monday night against the Marlins, the toothiest smile of the night actually belonged to catcher-turned-designated hitter-turned-left-fielder Iván Herrera.
Making his first start in the outfield in his professional baseball career, Herrera carefully retreated to the warning track, somewhat skittishly camped under a fly ball before hauling it in and letting out a big sigh while flashing a grin in Monday’s second inning. Little did Herrera know it, but Cardinals speedy center fielder Victor Scott II raced over behind the new left fielder just in case.
Herrera’s adjustment to the outfield -- a spot he hadn’t played since he was in a Panamanian youth league -- was just one of the light moments on a night when the Cardinals rode the stellar pitching of Pallante and a second home run in as many games from Alec Burleson in a 7-1 win over the Marlins.
Herrera gave Pallante a brief scare in the second inning when he darted back to the warning track for the fly ball, leading the right-handed pitcher to believe that the ball off Heriberto Hernandez’s bat was going to be a home run. However, Herrera said Cardinals coach Jon Jay taught him to run to the spot and then make the catch -- which he did, but not without some nerves.
“I saw the ball, and one second after that, my heart rate went to the sky, and after I caught it, I remember touching my chest and I was feeling my heart come out of it,” said Herrera of the lone fly ball he had to handle in the game. “But I was just laughing and enjoying being out there in [left field] for the first time in my [professional] career.”
Burleson, the benefactor of Herrera playing the outfield so he could shift to DH for the night, got a kick out of seeing the converted catcher adapting to life in the outfield.
“The first one is different catching a ball in a big league stadium, so I know he was nervous,” said Burleson, whose Statcast-projected 411-foot homer tied him with Willson Contreras for the team lead with 14. “But [Herrera] puts the work in. Once you get your first [fly ball], then you’re good to go. It just takes reps -- that’s what I’ve learned throughout my process of learning the outfield. But, he did good.”
A disappointing 7-15 since June 30, the Cardinals broke a two-game losing streak and remained on the fringes of contention for the No. 3 Wild Card spot. The Cards, who used a three-run double from Masyn Winn in the seventh inning to break the game open, got within 1 1/2 games of the Padres on Friday, but they dropped the final two games of the weekend series to go back to 3 1/2 games out of the final spot.
Nolan Arenado, long a subject of trade rumors, got the day off on Monday to try and jar him out of a 23-game homerless streak where he has slashed just .195/.241/.244 with only four RBIs. Monday was also a night off for two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, who admitted after that game that he is resigned to being dealt before Thursday’s MLB Trade Deadline. The surging Blue Jays and Phillies are two of the many teams pursuing Helsley, per a source familiar with the trade talks.
Pallante came into Monday 0-3 with a 9.77 ERA over his previous three starts. He left those struggles behind on Monday and held the Marlins without a hit over the game’s first five innings. His no-hit bid was broken up when Graham Pauley led off the sixth inning with a single. Pallante, who retired the first 10 Marlins before allowing a walk and 15 of 16 before the first hit, pitched seven scoreless innings to lower his season ERA to 4.62.
“I had some hard-hit balls at guys and I feel like that’s just kind of evening out with what’s been going on over the last few weeks,” said Pallante, who got 10 groundouts on Monday night. “But I stayed on the attack, commanded the inside part of the plate and I kept the offspeed down.”
Pallante said other than Herrera giving him a scare by racing back to the warning track on the second-inning fly ball, he thought the former catcher held his own in the outfield. Like Herrera, Pallante also let out a sigh when Herrera snagged the one fly ball hit his way.
“The first one is always the toughest,” Pallante joked. “We’ve got to build his confidence up, so I was happy we could get him [a fly ball] today.”