Matt Carpenter’s heroics are a sight for sore eyes in St. Louis
By Cody Rivera
While the Cardinals are still reeling from firing their manager, Matt Carpenter has given the fans some excitement with his six-game home run streak.
It hasn’t exactly been a fairy tale season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018. There are only two games over .500, 7.5 games out of first place in the NL Central, 4.5 games out of a wild card spot … and above all else, they are still in the hangover process from firing their longtime manager, Mike Matheny.
Things aren’t really ideal for the devoted baseball fans in St. Louis, but Matt Carpenter’s recent heroics have given them something to celebrate over the last handful of games.
The 32-year-old MLB veteran and longtime Cardinals player homered in six consecutive games, which is a franchise record. He surpassed St. Louis legend Mark McGwire, who homered in five straight games during the 2001 season.
Carpenter’s most thrilling performance at the plate during this six-game stretch came during the second game back from the All-Star break, when the Cardinals routed their hated rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 18-5 at Wrigley Field on Friday. Carpenter blasted three homers in the game on a 5-for-5 performance, knocking in seven RBIs and collecting 16 total bases.
“It’s really hard to put into words what is happening and what I feel like,” Carpenter said, according to ESPN.com. “I’ve felt like this before in the sense that I feel like I’m comfortable at the plate. I feel like I’m swinging at good pitches and my swing feels like it’s where it needs to be. But obviously, I’ve never had a stretch like this. It’s hard to put into words.”
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The future of the Cardinals is kind of up in the air right now. Since the firing of Matheny, Mike Shildt has taken over as interim manager, and the offseason will bring a lot of questions as the Cardinals look for a new full-time manager. But in the meantime, as they desperately fight to keep their playoff hopes alive for this season, Carpenter has certainly provided a much-needed spark for this team.