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PHILADELPHIA 鈥� The compliment came wrapped in a comment about the eight-game winning streak and how to make it possible the Cardinals needed a few of the young players they鈥檙e focusing on this season to perform beyond expectations.

鈥淲e needed Victor Scott to play this way,鈥� veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado said as he described the 鈥渧ibe鈥� of the team. 鈥淗e鈥檚 playing better than we thought.鈥�

Several examples came in Sunday鈥檚 game with a diving catch and RBI.

More reasons came Monday.

When manager Oliver Marmol stopped by the coaches room in the clubhouse, there was Victor Scott II chatting with coach Jon Jay about baserunning and finding ways to steal as opponents get quicker and quicker to the plate against him on base. An hour or so later, Scott was out in center field at Citizens Bank Park with Jay going through reads, jumps and talking about how to better direct traffic and positioning as the center fielder. From before the first day of this year he鈥檚 been trying to get a jump 鈥� even calling hitting coach Brant Brown at 7 a.m. on New Year鈥檚 Eve just so the coach could watch via FaceTime as Scott hit.

鈥淎nything I can do, any low-hanging fruit I can get from him or anyone, man, I鈥檓 just trying to learn,鈥� Scott explained before his round of batting practice on Monday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all I鈥檓 trying to do is learn and grow and develop and try to speed up the rate of development here so I鈥檓 not stuck on something or getting lost somewhere.鈥�

As the Cardinals have pledged a 鈥渞unway鈥� for several young players and already had their commitment challenged by the struggles of Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, two examples of how young players have thrived when given more prominent roles and a promise of playing time are Scott and Monday鈥檚 starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore. Scott has taken his 鈥渞unway鈥� and run away with the Cardinals鈥� starting center field job, and his improvement in several facets of the game in the first month contributed to the eight-game winning streak.

Scott was not in the lineup Monday to get a break, but he鈥檒l return to it Tuesday despite the Cardinals facing a left-handed pitcher. That鈥檚 the runway the Cardinals keep describing.

鈥淚 think Victor is the most perfect example of it,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淵ou have the version of when he came in to start the season last year, and he got a real good taste of what it looks like when the opposition game plans against you. He goes down to Triple-A, he has a really good offseason, he comes back and he makes adjustments to his swing but also to his mindset and to his routine that allows for more consistency. And then he starts seeing a ton of sliders, a ton of off-speed, and has then made another adjustment in real time. That is what it鈥檚 about. I think he鈥檚 done that really well. Like really, really well.鈥�

During the eight-game winning streak, Scott hit .360 with a .433 on-base percentage. From the No. 9 spot in the Cardinals order, he scored five runs and reached base 13 times. Several teammates, including Arenado, connected their winning to Scott鈥檚 play 鈥� like an accelerant that made the team burn hotter and brighter. In center, he remained in the top three in center field with plus-4 defensive runs saved overall. In the eight consecutive wins, he was plus-2 DRS and part of a Cardinals team that was plus-12 in that span.

On the bases? Well, that is what he was talking to Jay about.

When Scott is on base, he does open up the hole at first base for leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar because of the attention being paid to him. Opposing pitchers are also getting quicker to the plate. Scott said they鈥檙e throwing at a hasty 1.1 seconds to limit him. He and Jay spoke Monday about different things he could do to resume the pace of steals 鈥� he had 11 in the Cardinals鈥� first 33 games 鈥� while also getting on base more often.

鈥淭hat is the big, key word when we talk about the growth of a player: development,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淗ow do you up that rate of development? For me, it鈥檚 being optimistic. Willing to try new things. Not stepping away from things that I鈥檓 really good at. Bunting, I鈥檓 good at. But how can I get better? Swinging, I鈥檓 good at. How can I be better? How can I adjust? I come to the ballpark every day with an open mind and ready to learn than closed off and doing my routine.鈥�

Before hopping in the cage for his BP, he echoed what the manager wants from the team and how Scott wants that from himself.

鈥淚 want to be better than I was yesterday and better than I was a month ago,鈥� Scott said, strapping on his batting gloves for BP. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I keep trying to learn.鈥�

When does Herrera catch?

Since his return from the injured list and a deep bone bruise in his knee, Ivan Herrera has caught bullpens for teammates and participated in all of the pre-game catcher meetings 鈥� he鈥檚 just yet to catch an inning. Matchups have given the Cardinals reason to continue going with the two catchers, starter Pedro Pages and backup Yohel Pozo, who have been on the receiving end of the strong stretch of starting pitching yet for the Cardinals.

At the earliest, Herrera will catch Wednesday, and if not that day, then his first appearance behind the plate could be over the weekend in Kansas City.

鈥淚 think it wouldn鈥檛 be a question if it wasn鈥檛 in a row of lefties,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淭hat gives us the ability to do it differently.鈥�

Beginning with Cristopher Sanchez on Monday, the Cardinals face two lefty starters in the three-day visit to Philadelphia, and the Royals have a lefty scheduled to start Friday night. Marmol鈥檚 plan is to have Herrera DH on Monday and Tuesday. If Herrera鈥檚 knee feels good and he鈥檚 not fatigued, he鈥檒l catch the series finale in Philadelphia.

Prospect Mathews nearing return

Top pitching prospect Quinn Mathews is close to a return to game action and was scheduled to appear early this week in a game with the Cardinals鈥� Florida Complex League team at the spring training facility in Jupiter, Florida. Games on Monday were rained out, pushing back any planned appearance. Mathews has been on the minor league injured list since April 13 after he felt shoulder discomfort coming out of his third start of the season.

Mathews had an uncharacteristic 12 walks in his most recent 6 1/3 innings and 15 overall in his first 10 1/3 innings of the season.

The lefty is coming off his first pro season, when he was the first Cardinals minor league pitcher of the 2000s to strike out more than 200 in a season. He was named Baseball America鈥檚 minor league pitcher of the year for all of the minors.

Extra bases

The Cardinals added to their international amateur class by finalizing deals with right-hander Efren Alvarez (age 17) from Mexico and right-hander Kriscol Peralta (17) from the Dominican Republic. Both were assigned Monday to the Cardinals鈥� Dominican Summer League team.

• Fredbird, the Cardinals鈥� flightless and fan-beaking mascot for almost 50 years, has been named as one of 28 nominees for induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame. The Mascot Hall of Fame was founded in 2005 by the original Phillie Phanatic, David Raymond, and it has inducted 33 members in two decades as it strives to bring attention to the character and also how the team uses and supports the mascot for endeavors beyond the field.

Fredbird debuted in 1979, and since he鈥檚 performed at more than 3,600 regular-season games, appeared at seven World Series, starred in a children鈥檚 television show and once floated out of the ballpark in a wayward hot air balloon.