ST. LOUIS — Nolan Arenado had one thought on his mind when he strode to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning:
“Just get the ball to the outfield.”
Wednesday night’s contest against the Milwaukee Brewers was no easy feat for the St. Louis Cardinals. A back-and-forth affair through regulation forced extra innings, and that was after the Cardinals rallied in the seventh and ninth to even the score.
So when the game’s most pivotal moment found Arenado, he made sure to hit the ball far past the outfield. Brewers reliever Trevor Megill hung a 1-2 curveball, and Arenado did not miss it, barreling it out of Busch Stadium in a hurry for a walk-off grand slam and a 10-6 win.
NOLAN ARENADO WALKS IT OFF WITH A GRAND SLAM!!!! #STLCards pic.twitter.com/Op1AKwiVxw
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 22, 2024
“It just felt good to come through,” Arenado said with an exhale. “If I didn’t come through there, I don’t know how people would look at me anymore. It would not have been very good. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to do my best, but yeah, I was just happy to drive in the runs and get us a win. I haven’t been helping us win as much as I would like, but today was a good day.”
It has not been an ideal season for Arenado or his team. The Cardinals entered play Wednesday in a state of peril. They had lost 12 of their 17 games in August, reduced their playoff odds to mere percentage points and optioned two of their young, promising talents — Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman — to the minor leagues.
Arenado had hardly fared better. He posted one of the worst first-half campaigns of his decorated career, homering just eight times with a .704 OPS. He had spoken at length multiple times throughout the season about being disappointed in his performance, and the internal and external pressures to produce more consistently.
“It still weighs on you,” Arenado acknowledged. “It’s not so much what people are saying; it’s more about what you’re telling yourself. The performance speaks for itself. I’m just trying to go out there and change the narrative and do the best I can.”
But lately, Arenado’s at-bats suggest he’s finding his groove. Wednesday’s walk-off winner was his third home run of the month. He has posted a .319/.373/.522 line in August, and his .895 OPS is his highest monthly total by more than 150 percentage points. That he is seemingly turning a corner has helped him stay in a solid mental state, something that was difficult last year and early this season.
“I feel really good with where I’m at, regardless of if I perform well or not,” he said. “I like where my mind is. I’m in that flow state — just gotta stay there.”
An emotional Nolan Arenado after his walk-off grand slam: “It felt great. I haven’t been able to come through the way I want, and it’s been killing me. I just thank God that today was a good day, and I was able to do it.” #STLCards pic.twitter.com/eevxWo3YzQ
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 22, 2024
Though Arenado’s grand slam will take most of its deserved recognition, Wednesday’s win was a by-product of a team-wide effort. Luken Baker tied the score in the seventh inning with a pinch hit, two-run homer in his first at-bat in the major leagues this season. Freshly recalled José Fermín’s double in the ninth helped set the table for another rally, this time off Milwaukee closer Devin Williams, who lost command quickly after that and walked in two runs. An aggressive Brewers lineup tagged the Cardinals bullpen for four total runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but Matthew Liberatore and Shawn Armstrong locked down the later frames to pave the way in the 10th for Ryan Helsley, the only pitcher on either team to log a clean inning.
After Helsley shut down the Brewers in the top of the 10th, the Cardinals were in a good position with speedy Masyn Winn on second base as the automatic runner. They felt even better about their odds when Alec Burleson’s deep fly ball to left advanced Winn to third. Milwaukee elected to intentionally walk Willson Contreras, and Fermín followed by working a walk of his own.
That set the table for Arenado, who provided one of his most critical swings all season. Now he and the Cardinals will hope enough momentum can be generated from it.
“I absolutely loved watching it,” manager Oli Marmol said. “You can see he’s betting on himself. That was a big swing that could lead this group moving forward in a lot of ways. We needed that.”
The Cardinals will certainly need all the help they can get as they attempt to chase down their slim postseason odds. St. Louis remains 11 games back in the division and five games out of the wild-card picture with 36 games remaining. To make a run, the Cardinals have to start somewhere.
Wednesday night seemed like the ideal turning point.
(Photo: Joe Puetz / Getty Images)
