JJ Wetherholt Shines Again for Cards -- This Time to Rob Shohei Ohtani, Beat Dodgers

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Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol discusses the spectacular defense played by second baseman JJ Wetherholt and shortstop Masyn Winn on Saturday night in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers.

ST. LOUIS – Having already influenced the Cardinals greatly with his clutch hitting late in games and his surprising power to all fields from the leadoff spot, standout rookie JJ Wetherholt used his glove to contribute to another victory on Saturday night.

Wetherholt ended the first inning by completing a double play and then made a spectacular diving snag of a liner off the bat of Shohei Ohtani and doubled Alex Freeland off first base in the third inning. Incredibly, Wetherholt’s best was still to come as he ranged to his left for a grounder and threw back across his body to Masyn Winn at second base. The Gold Glove shortstop then fired a 92-mph strike to first for a third double play in four innings.

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Wetherholt’s elite defense set the tone for a Cardinals’ club that turned four double plays in five innings and used a Jordan Walker homer and back-to-back doubles from Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson to beat the Dodgers 3-2 at Busch Stadium.

“They were both really cool, but the Ohtani one I got really hype about that one,” said Wetherholt of the snag of Ohtani’s liner and the fourth inning double play he started. “The Teoscar (Hernandez) one was probably more difficult, but that one was topped off by Masyn being able to make a crazy throw. That one was probably cooler, but the Ohtani one got me more fired up. Hard answer.”

Swept at home nearly a week ago, the Cardinals responded by winning six straight -- taking four from the Pirates in Pittsburgh and winning the first two against the Dodgers to secure another series victory.

“I told you that they’re not going to (wilt),” manager Oliver Marmol said. “They just refuse give in and they focus on what’s next. The series against the Mariners wasn’t a tough series – the outcome was, but the way we played the game wasn’t. They’re continuing to play the same way and that’s something I’ll hold myself accountable to and they’ll hold themselves accountable to. I like where we’re at.”     

Michael McGreevy (2-2) was the beneficiary of the stellar defense by needing just 88 pitches to twirl six shutout innings. A native of San Clemente, Calif., McGreevy grew up a Padres fan and one despising the Dodgers. On Saturday, he surrendered just three singles and battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani on a tumbling changeup.

“Not exactly where I wanted to throw it – a back-foot changeup isn’t really where I want to throw that pitch, I was super convicted into that pitch,” said McGreevy, who was lifted because of some mild body malaise. “To be 3-0 to one of the best hitters on the planet and one of the best hitters to ever play this game, I was, ‘Hey, big on big here and I’m going to give him a fastball. But then on 3-2, I’m back to what I want to do. I was really convicted with the changeup and I think I shook to it. I wanted it, I threw it with good conviction and I got a good result.”   

Wetherholt came into Saturday tied for fourth in defensive runs saved (four) and tied for ninth in Outs Above Average (five). In a stacked National League, Wetherholt trails only Nico Hoerner (seven) and Luis Arraez (six) in Outs Above Average so far in his rookie season.

Just for good measure, Wetherholt showed off the vast improvement he has made going to his backhand – an area Cardinals coaches asked him to work on since Spring Training – in the eighth inning. With the speedy Alex Call running, Wetherholt scrambled back up the middle to get to a 76 mph tapper. He then leaped and threw across his body to first to get Call by a half step – much to the excitement of reliever JoJo Romero and 34,323 fans at Busch Stadium.

“It’s a mix – a good defensive play is great, and a good swing is great,” Wetherholt said. "For me, it’s just about trying to be good on both sides of the ball and help the team out.”

The Cardinals infield defense was tested again in the ninth inning – this time with Kyle Tucker hitting a squibber at Winn for a single and Teoscar Hernandez grounding another infield hit off the glove of a diving Winn. Then, Max Muncy’s liner tipped off the glove of a leaping Wetherholt and Andy Pages ground got between third and short for another RBI. 

Ultimately, Riley O’Brien struck out pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing with the tying and go-ahead runs on base to end the rally. O’Brien locked up his ninth save in 11 chances, ranking him second in the NL in that category.

Just enough offense from Walker and Co.

The Cardinals got all the offense they would need in a three-batter sequence of the third inning against struggling Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki. Herrera opened the inning by doubling down the third base line and Burleson followed with a double down the first base line to score the game’s first run. Then, when Sasaki hung a split-finger fastball, Walker punished it into the seats in left field.

Walker, who had four hits in Friday’s 7-2 win over L.A., recorded hits in his first six at bats of this series and one in the finale in Pittsburgh, giving him hits in seven consecutive at bats during one stretch. He smashed eight home runs in the first three weeks of the season, but he then went through a 13-game stretch with no long balls. Now, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Walker has two homers in the past three games.    

“It just feels nice that all the work that I put in is showing up here and now it’s a matter of being consistent,” said Walker, who became the first Cardinals hitter since Matt Holliday in 2009 to record a hit in the first six at bats of a series. “I know what (success) feels like, so when I get off track and I can get back onto what makes me good and it’s nice to have a blueprint. I know what it looks like and I want to keep it going as long as I can.”

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