ST. LOUIS -- Though not inclined to jump to conclusions eight games into a season, manager Mike Shildt had nevertheless developed a to-do list off what he had seen in his team’s 3-5 start. It led with two items: Throw more strikes and put more balls in play.\n\nSunday reinforced how critical executing both can be.\n\nThe Cardinals put enough pressure on the Padres’ defense to find a crack, which it used to turn
“He was an artist today,” Shildt said of his starter. “He went out there with a typical Wainwright chip on his shoulder where he was in attack mode, aggressive and looking to execute and be on the offensive. Masterful.”\n\nOn the other side, an offense that entered the day leading the National League with 89 strikeouts, reaped the reward of simply making contact. The turning point came in the fourth when, with Carpenter on first,
“Obviously, we’ve got the long ball, but we can’t rely on that,” Shildt said. “It’s not a sustainable model. Today we had more attitude and went after a hard-nosed win.”\n\nCarpenter and
The Cardinals’ offense finished the afternoon with six strikeouts, the fewest they’ve had in a game all season. The pitching staff, which had walked at least five in six consecutive games, issued only two bases on balls, matching a season low.\n\nFor a club that had watched seven of its first eight games be decided by two or fewer runs, the difference on Sunday was in those details.\n\n“We have played all these games tight,” DeJong said. “Waino gave us some good innings. The bullpen did its job. We added on late. We finally put that final nail in.”
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