51黑料

When the Cubs put runners at the corners with two outs and brought right-handed hitter Dansby Swanson to the plate, Arenado thought through the most likely scenarios.

Something about being the best defensive third baseman of his generation gave him a feel for where to stand next.

He scooted in.

Swanson chopped a grounder toward shortstop, but Arenado had the angle and the experience 鈥� cutting over to barehand the ball and whip a throw to first that Willson Contreras, stretched to fit, caught for the final out of a gripping, come-from-behind 8-7 victory at Busch Stadium.

鈥淚nstincts took over,鈥� Arenado said. 鈥淚 went for it. I was a little nervous going with the barehand. But I鈥檝e made that play so many times, it didn鈥檛 feel like anything crazy.鈥�

No, but it did feel like something new.

Or, rather, renewed.

He鈥檚 having an absolute blast.

鈥淚 like playing baseball like this against the Cubs 鈥� games matter,鈥� Arenado said late Tuesday night. 鈥淎s you get older, that鈥檚 what you want to play for. You don鈥檛 want to play games just to play games. Individually, I鈥檝e accomplished some things in this game, and I just want to accomplish team-oriented, special (things) and win a World Series. Games like this 鈥� it鈥檚 easy to wake up. This is the most excited I鈥檝e come to the ballpark 鈥� this series 鈥� in about two years. It鈥檚 just fun.鈥�

The Cardinals won for the seventh time in their past eight games, and with back-to-back assertive wins against the first-place Cubs, they鈥檝e trimmed the division lead down to 2 1/2 games. The win Tuesday assured at least a split of the four-game visit from the Cubs, but the remaining two games offer the potential for much more.

For weeks, the Cardinals have described their approach at the plate as 鈥渞elentless鈥� and eager to 鈥減unch back,鈥� and that style is spilling over into other areas of the game.

Masyn Winn had four RBIs, hit one of the Cardinals鈥� three homers, and his two-run shot paired with Nolan Gorman鈥檚 solo homer to yank them back into a 5-5 tie. And yet the decisive run of the game came when Winn scored from second on a sacrifice fly to center. The bullpen isn鈥檛 deployed the same way to hold that lead if not for young pitcher Michael McGreevy steadying himself after the rockiest big league inning of his career. Two of the game鈥檚 pivotal moments came in right field, where Alec Burleson had to track down fly balls 鈥� one of which could have fueled the Cubs toward a win, with the other was almost in the netting.

All of that, and then the game bounded into the palm of Arenado鈥檚 outstretched hand.

The game was, to borrow from Winn, 鈥渟ick.鈥�

鈥淭hat game had a lot,鈥� Winn said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 like watching that game as a fan, you just don鈥檛 like watching baseball. That was a lot of fun. The energy tonight was electric 鈥� both sides. That is one of my favorite games of the year, if not my favorite. To get a win on top of it 鈥� that was just sick. Sick day.鈥�

The Cardinals (44-36) quilted their 20th comeback win of the season out of contributions from all corners of the roster because it took all corners of the roster to win.

That鈥檚 become their identity.

They don鈥檛 know what will decide a game, who or when, just how they鈥檒l push in case it鈥檚 that moment and them.

鈥淲hat I loved about it is you never know which play, which run, which at-bat is going to be the most meaningful one of the game, and our guys continue to play every pitch with a ton of heart,鈥� manager Oliver Marmol said.

Here are four of those plays that proved essential in the win:

1. Winn鈥檚 clever dash

Burleson, one of the four left-handed batters to hit five homers so far in the series, felt like he had his second of the series in the fourth inning. Winn stood at second when Burleson ripped a pitch that left his bat at 102.9 mph and traveled 402 feet.

And right to Pete Crow-Armstrong鈥檚 glove near the center field wall.

One of the swiftest and most gifted fielders in the league, Crow-Armstrong made the catch look routine 鈥� and the recovery casual. With the out in his glove, he spun toward the wall, momentarily turning his back on the infield. There was one issue for him: It was the second out of the inning. Crow-Armstrong later admitted to forgetting the number of outs, and that pause allowed Winn to not break stride was he rounded third and headed home.

鈥淚 rode the ultimate roller coaster in about five seconds,鈥� Burleson said. 鈥淚 was kind of pissed off that it didn鈥檛 go out, and then me and Stubby (Clapp, first base coach) are just standing at first base watching Masyn round third, and we鈥檙e yelling, 鈥楽end him! Send him! Send him!鈥� That鈥檚 what we look to take a little advantage anywhere we can, and that鈥檚 exactly what he did and ultimately that was the game.鈥�

Winn slid home head of the throw that was high anyway.

What was a 5-2 lead for the Cubs after 2 1/2 innings had melted away into a tie, and then Winn鈥檚 opportunistic rush home put the Cardinals ahead 8-5. His run would prove to be the deciding run, the only run the bullpen had to hold. And it was only possible because Winn broke from second at full speed, picked up third- ase coach Ron 鈥淧op鈥� Warner and did what Crow-Armstrong did not 鈥� never slowed down.

鈥淭hat got the whole team going,鈥� Winn said. 鈥淚 did it one time in Low-A, and I鈥檝e been looking to do it ever since. To be able to do it in the big leagues against the Cubs 鈥� that鈥檚 what dreams are made of right there.鈥�

2. McGreevy鈥檚 rebound

Back for a return engagement as the Cardinals鈥� favorite understudy for the rotation, McGreevy made his third spot start of the season and his second in the past week. Three of his four appearances this season have come against teams that led their divisions, and he鈥檚 approached each with the same poise the Cardinals believe someday (soon) will be a fixture in their rotation.

The right-hander slipped free of a first-inning single by starting a double play, and he didn鈥檛 allow a ball out of the infield in the second inning.

The third mushroomed on him.

A pair of singles slipped through, and then he complicated the inning by walking Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ. Kyle Tucker followed with a game-tying two-run single, and Seiya Suzuki rocketed them ahead with a three-run homer. The five runs were as many in one inning as McGreevy allowed in his previous three appearances, and what happened next would shape the game for the Cardinals.

鈥淭ry to get the team as many innings as I can,鈥� McGreevy said.

He pivoted out of the third with two outs to the first baseman, and he pitched a perfect fourth inning. That was crucial for the Cardinals. McGreevy pitched into the fifth and completed 4 2/3 innings. Any less and the Cardinals are likely reaching for long relief or cleanup to just cover outs. By steadying himself and retiring six consecutive after Suzuki鈥檚 homer, McGreevy got the Cardinals to the spot Steven Matz could take over and big 4 1/3 scoreless from the bullpen.

鈥淚t鈥檚 how bad do you want to be a big leaguer,鈥� McGreevy said. 鈥淢y college coach always tells us back when I was in college that the ball doesn鈥檛 care how you feel. You can be racking up frequent flyer miles. You can be driving up from Memphis the night before or flying into Chicago the day of. It just doesn鈥檛 care. You have a job to do when you step on that field.鈥�

3. Burleson鈥檚 catch聽of the day

With two on base and Phil Maton looking to escape the seventh inning by retiring Swanson, Burleson had no fear driving into foul territory and the netting that protects fans along that right field wall.

Getting out of the netting, however, was tricky.

鈥淏uttons were hung in the net,鈥� Burleson said, pantomiming loosening the buttons of his jersey. 鈥淕ot a little bit of a road rash on my chin. Thank God I have a beard so you can鈥檛 see it. I thought I had more room than I did until I got over there and actually caught the ball and fell into the net.鈥�

Burleson鈥檚 catch ended the seventh, stranding two Cubs.

It was the most difficult and entertaining catch of his day, but it was not the most important. That came two innings earlier as McGreevy exited and Matz (4-2) entered to face the left-handed hitter Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs鈥� young sensation has 21 homers and 61 RBIs to go with huge support as the starting center fielder for the National League in the All-Star Game. In the fifth, he had two teammates, Happ and Suzuki, on base and a chance to tie the game with a hit 鈥� or take the lead with extra bases. Crow-Armstong pulled a liner to right field and right toward Burleson.

Burleson stayed low to keep a view of the liner and not lose it in the lights. He slid to make the catch for the final out 鈥� and a miss would have misplaced the lead.

鈥淚 had a bead on it the whole way,鈥� Burleson said. 鈥淚t was probably more of a bad jump more than anything that made me slide for it. Just because it was hit right at you, you have to take a split second to see where it鈥檚 at. So that鈥檚 probably where the slide came from.

鈥淚 like the foul-ball catch better.鈥�

4. Nolan鈥檚 being Nolan

A step slower by the runner and it might have been the most remarkable play of Arenado鈥檚 remarkable career of making remarkable plays.

In that fifth inning, Suzuki drilled a pitch to third that Arenado jumped to get his glove on. The ball dropped and bounced right up toward him as he landed. As he leaned into foul territory, Arenado whipped a throw toward first 鈥� that Suzuki beat. Arenado said later if he pulled it off it might have been his favorite play.

鈥淓ver,鈥� he said.

Instead, he had to make his signature play.

Swanson鈥檚 game-ending grounder was there to grab.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 making the play, and I was pretty nervous,鈥� Winn said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think a lot of guys could do that. Man, me personally? I don鈥檛 know if I have the confidence to be able to just barehand it like that.鈥�

Whether it鈥檚 crossing behind the mound in Arizona to shock Paul Goldschmidt with a barehanded throw on a high bounder for the out or, as he did Tuesday, cut off a grounder to shortstop with his sure hand and drill a throw to first, barehanded pickups on the go fill Arenado鈥檚 highlight reel through a dozen years and 10 Gold Glove Awards in the majors. The Cardinals had 10 hits in the game, but Arenado chipped in none of them, and he talked later about how he was still able to contribute to the game in a decisive way.

鈥淎s I鈥檝e gotten older, I want to contribute anyway I can,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes it might be offensively. Sometimes it won鈥檛 be. ... I didn鈥檛 get a hit today, but I know I can impact the team defensively. I know these guys are starting to carry that over.鈥�

That push, that pursuit of the play somewhere on the field 鈥� on the bases like Winn, in the field like Burleson, or at the plate like Lars Nootbaar鈥檚 two-run homer 鈥� is what Arenado sees developing with this team.

Just a few months after he wasn鈥檛 sure what ballpark he would call home this season, he mentioned Thursday night how that style of play as why he鈥檚 excited to drive to Busch, especially this week.

鈥淲hen you win ballgames, I think you realize how important it is to play both sides of the ball, and I think these young guys are starting to learn that because we鈥檙e winning games,鈥� Arenado said. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 won games like this in two years, really, at this point. That鈥檚 the type of baseball you want to play 鈥� meaningful, a chance to take a division lead. It feels like it鈥檚 been awhile.鈥�