Dexter Fowler is really trying to wish for a hit here
By John Buhler
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler couldn’t hit this weekend at all. The guy wants a hit so bad, he took to Twitter to tell us about it. Let’s go!
Baseball is hard, especially when you can’t hit. No matter what side of the plate he chooses to stand in, no, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler couldn’t get on base with his bat this week. The 2016 MLB All-Star went 0-13 with a walk in the Cardinals’ first series of the season versus the New York Mets.
As the late, great Yogi Berra once said, “90 percent of the game is half mental.” That might be true, Popeye, but it seems that the slump is starting to get to Fowler just a tad. Just look at what the guy posted on Twitter this morning before the Cardinals’ next series versus the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers.
Of course, I will admit that I too have tried to will a hit into existence. My go-to phrase was “I’m gonna hit this guy” back when I was a bad suburban Atlanta version of Freddie Freeman in my youth. Truth be told, Fowler was so much better than all of us millennial Braves fans back in the day. The guy crushed it at Milton and has done so for several teams in his lengthy big league career.
Even if you don’t like the Cardinals, you NEED to root for Fowler on this fine Monday. The guy needs a hit and maybe some Brewer is going to give it to him. Ideally, we’ll need some southpaw to hang a curve or throw a slider that doesn’t break. A swift single up the middle could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Fowler, who is dealing with a bad case of the slumps.
The only prescription for the slumps is more cowbell. Actually, I don’t know. Baseball is funny like that. It is a goofy game that challenges us all mentally. The best medicine might be to not think about it and just hit the darn ball.
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Since Fowler is fast and a switch hitter, he won’t have to deal with one of those delicious Joe Maddon shifts we see all too often. Also, the Cardinals won’t play Fowler’s former team in the Chicago Cubs, so there’s that. If, and when, Fowler gets a hit, not just the Cardinals will be excited about it, but true fans of the great game of baseball. Let’s go!