ST. LOUIS -- Whereas some teams might have looked at their organization selling off its three most proven relievers at the Trade Deadline as an act of surrender, Brendan Donovan said those moves actually had the opposite effect on a plucky Cardinals club that simply refuses to give up on their season.
Fresh off stirring series wins over the Dodgers and the Cubs, the comeback Cardinals (61-59) found a way to win on Monday night behind Donovan to pull within three games of the Mets (63-55) for the No. 3 Wild Card slot in the National League playoff chase.
Out the past two days with left groin tightness that stemmed from a big toe injury and out of the starting lineup for a third straight game, Donovan pinch-hit in the eighth inning and delivered a go-ahead two-run double that lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 defeat of the Rockies at Busch Stadium.
Owners of 29 come-from-behind wins -- tied for MLB’s ninth-highest total and tied for the fifth-most winning rallies in the National League -- the Cardinals have remained in the playoff chase in a season that was supposed to focus on development and opportunity. Even when the franchise tried casting an eye toward the future by dealing Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz, the club reinvented its bullpen and emboldened its spirit.
“Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of season left when the Deadline happens, and it’s baseball, and luckily it’s a very long season,” Donovan said of the Cardinals, who have won five of their last seven games to pull within striking distance of the Mets. “Even though we did a sell at the Deadline, you still don’t lose belief. If you lose belief, you have nothing. One of the things this team has done a good job of is responding, and it was very cool to see that tonight.”
Cleared to test out his ailing leg before the game, Donovan took ground balls and batting practice with the team on Monday afternoon. After passing those tests and telling manager Oliver Marmol that he was available to pinch-hit, Donovan was called upon to hit for Pedro Pagés in the eighth inning, with the Cards trailing 2-1. The club’s lone All-Star in the Midsummer Classic, Donovan fell behind in the count 1-2 before getting to a slider below the zone and hooking it into the right-field corner to score pinch-runner Garrett Hampson and Thomas Saggese, who had a three-hit night.
“Our goal was to use Donovan off the bench for an at-bat and no defense, but then it presented itself [to go for the big inning],” Marmol said. “We were OK with him playing one inning of defense if we could get that win, and I’m glad it worked out that way.”
Added pitcher Miles Mikolas, who threw 5 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball before allowing two runs and giving way to the bullpen in the seventh: “It was good to see Donny getting off his butt after taking a three-day vacation and finally doing something. … What he did was huge. But he’s an All-Star, and that’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s got to carry that All-Star badge and do those things on a regular basis and save us when we need him.”
Donovan admitted that he hasn’t made for the best teammate while sitting out because of his nervous energy and desire to get back into games. Someone who usually hates sitting out innings, Donovan was admittedly a bit stir-crazy while missing most of the past three games.
“I try to be present and supportive, but I’ve been bouncing around from place to place and seat to seat [in the dugout], and I’ve probably been driving people nuts,” said Donovan, who has played 108 of 120 games thus far despite missing games because of back, toe and groin injuries and once for a family emergency. “But I do want to be in there, and I value playing every day.
“But this [injury] just kind of crept up on me. It all stems back to the toe. When your feet -- the things that contact the ground -- get all banged up, it tends to go up the chain and that’s what caused this. … But I still want to play every day.”
Like Donovan, Mikolas said it would be a mistake for foes and fans to give up on the Cards just because they made deals at the Deadline.
“There are lots of young guys in this locker room who have tremendous amounts of fight in them and tons of heart,” Mikolas said. “We’re not giving up, no matter what anybody else is throwing our way. As long as we have fun, we’re a dangerous team.”