BALTIMORE 鈥 Shortly before ducking into his office Tuesday afternoon to meet with the media, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol coordinated a paths-crossing with his struggling leadoff hitter, Lars Nootbaar. He had a message he wanted to deliver.
The manager caught Nootbaar鈥檚 eye and smiled.
鈥淟ove you, buddy,鈥 he said.
鈥淵ou understood what the message was,鈥 Nootbaar said later. 鈥淓ased the tension.鈥
They agreed during this brief passing that 鈥渟ometimes this game is miserable.鈥 They laughed about it, and soon after, they went their separate ways to prepare for the possibility that Tuesday being a day with baseball was going to be one of those times.
It wasn鈥檛.
Nootbaar stormed through whatever fog he felt at the plate by reaching base four times and homering as part of the Cardinals鈥 persistent offense that rallied them for a 7-4 victory against Baltimore on Tuesday night at Camden Yards. The Cardinals fell behind in the fifth inning on Ryan O鈥橦earn鈥檚 homer, but the same lineup that scored three early and repeatedly peppered innings with hits and runners in scoring position broke through late.
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Nolan Arenado鈥檚 solo homer in the eighth broke a tie, and back-to-back triples by Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker let the Cardinals pull away in the three-run eighth inning.
鈥淓ven when we lose the lead, it鈥檚 just the feeling of like, we鈥檙e not out of it, you know?鈥 Arenado said. 鈥淥鈥橦earn put a good swing on that ball and it felt like: Alright, we鈥檝e got to keep going. It didn鈥檛 feel like: Oh man, we鈥檙e losing. Our energy and the way we鈥檙e carrying ourselves we just kind of brush it off and keep it moving.鈥
In the middle of it all was Nootbaar.
Entering the series in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Marmol spoke about how the team was going to have to generate its own energy for a bit. A raucous homestand ended with a series sweep of Arizona and then plopped the Cardinals into another day game, on the road, in another city with its molting home club.
The weather was gorgeous on Sunday, but the game was not as the Cardinals stumbled to a loss. Rain hung around for most of the game Tuesday night for a dreary feel 鈥 to which Nootbaar could relate at the plate.
The Cardinals鈥 No. 1 hitter and spark plug to the start season, Nootbaar set a National League record for leadoff walks to begin games in the first month. Since, he鈥檚 been searching 鈥 especially in the past week. Nootbaar entered Tuesday鈥檚 game with one hit in his previous 19 at-bats. In that same stretch, he had one walk and eight strikeouts.
Three of those came Monday.
鈥淚 felt like I wasn鈥檛 doing what I feel like is a big part of my game,鈥 Nootbaar said late Tuesday night. 鈥淭hat is the most frustrating part of it for me. If I make good contact and stuff happens, that happens. When I feel like I鈥檓 beating myself, that鈥檚 when I鈥檓 the most frustrated. And I felt over the past week or two that鈥檚 been happening. I tried to get back to my strengths.鈥
That began from the first pitch Tuesday night.
On Japanese Heritage Night at Oriole Park, Baltimore had starter Tomoyuki Sugano scheduled to face the Cardinals. In his first year in the majors since coming from Japan鈥檚 top league, the highly decorated right-hander was 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA. He had four wins for an Orioles rotation that鈥檚 claimed only 13 wins this season.
Sugano did not pitch for Team Japan when Nootbaar was its starting center fielder for the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship, and Nootbaar hoped to meet the veteran pitcher at some point during the series. He gave Sugano a salute and then found his footing and his way in the box.
Nootbaar took a sinker for a ball.
He ignored a cutter for a strike.
Nootbaar wanted to avoid a count where Sugano could drop a split-finger fastball on him, and when Sugano turned to that pitch, Nootbaar was able to take it for a ball. Up 3-1 in the count, Nootbaar got a cutter and pulled it to right field for a single. He opened the game by reaching base for the first time since May 19. Three batters later, he scored on Willson Contreras鈥 RBI single for a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Nootbaar batted with Walker on base and got another cutter. This one he put in the seats for a two-run homer and a 3-0 lead.
鈥淪ometimes you鈥檙e in such a bad rut, you鈥檙e doing things that you don鈥檛 even know what you鈥檙e doing,鈥 Nootbaar said. 鈥淚 think that was one of those moments. Just kind of got lucky.鈥
A pair of misplays at first base by Alec Burleson contributed to the Orioles鈥 first run, and in the fifth, O鈥橦earn slugged a pitch from Andre Pallante 405 feet to reverse the lead. Pallante spent most of his 5 2/3 innings with the lead, but he misplaced it on O鈥橦earn鈥檚 ninth homer of the season. Pallante finished the fifth, struck out two in the sixth and turned the game over to Steven Matz the moment the Orioles lineup turned around for a fourth time.
The game was effectively decided there.
Matz, Phil Maton and closer Ryan Helsley 鈥 on his way to an 11th save 鈥 pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings. The Cardinals offense that buzzed around Sugano broke through again against the Baltimore bullpen for four runs.
鈥淭he way we鈥檙e hitting right now, if I keep us in it, we鈥檙e going to win,鈥 Pallante said.
鈥淚t was just continuing to add pressure, one through nine, and taking tough at-bats,鈥 Marmol said. 鈥淭his what our offense has done a good job of. Just continuing to put guys on base and the one through nine taking tough at-bats, man. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e known for, and we鈥檙e going to continue to do it.鈥
And there pushing it forward was Nootbaar.
In the seventh, Nootbaar singled to get Victor Scott II from first to third and into scoring position. Masyn Winn tied the game with a two-strike single to left. Winn鈥檚 hit could have given the Cardinals the lead if Nootbaar hadn鈥檛 run into an out at second trying to push for a double. He brought that up late Tuesday when asked about Arenado鈥檚 homer breaking the tie an inning later.
鈥淲hat a relief that was for me after getting thrown out at second base,鈥 Nootbaar said. 鈥淏ig brother came in and helped little brother out there. Took some weight off my shoulders, for sure.鈥
That was the whole idea of Marmol coordinating the casual, brief pass-by.
鈥淪ome levity to the situation,鈥 the manager said.
Nootbaar finished the day with three hits and two runs scored, and in the eighth 鈥 as the Cardinals added on to Arenado鈥檚 homer 鈥 Nootbaar was again involved with a walk. Winn followed with his second RBI single in as many innings, and that set the final score. Winn鈥檚 hit was the Cardinals鈥 14th of the game. Every spot in the order but No. 9 had at least one hit, and every spot in the order including No. 9 reached base at least once. Nootbaar was one of five Cardinals with at least two hits.
鈥淥ne at-bat after another,鈥 Nootbaar said. 鈥淲e understand that we鈥檙e not out of these games no matter where we are throughout the game, whether it鈥檚 early or late. It鈥檚 an optimistic feeling for sure.鈥
