(Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals season has been a nightmare to this point.
However, over the weekend in New York, they took two out of three from the New York Mets and also managed to take two of three from the Washington Nationals.
Their defense, which has struggled for much of the season, appears to have taken strides towards improvement.
Much of that has to do with Tommy Edman’s outstanding play in center field and the returns of Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson from the injured list.
Right-hander Adam Wainwright has noticed how the team has improved defensively and discussed how it changed the way he pitched in his last start, per 101 ESPN St. Louis.
How much can a great defense change a pitcher’s mindset?#STLCards pitcher @UncleCharlie50 joined #TheOpeningDrive to talk defense, Hicks stepping up & the Cardinals trip to London.
Adam is presented by @StLouisHeating!
Full Interview: https://t.co/R1iuCS1Iho pic.twitter.com/HstJVFzYT9
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) June 22, 2023
Wainwright talked about how for much of the season, the Cardinals have been without their Opening Day outfield and how that has affected players.
Several players such as Jordan Walker and Brendan Donovan have ultimately been forced to play out of position.
With Carlson and Nootbaar’s absences, the outfield defense suffered.
Wainwright recalled a time when he was on the mound and noticed that the Cardinals had one of the best defensive teams in the league with players such as Edman, Donovan, Carlson, O’Neill, and Harrison Bader.
He said that it ultimately gave him a sense of confidence that everything was going to turn out fine and that he could continue to make pitches.
Wainwright reaped the benefits of a stronger defense on Saturday in his last start against the Mets.
The 41-year-old went 6.1 innings and allowed three runs for his first quality start of the season..
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