Getty Images Matt Carpenter
It’s been an almost nightmare start for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. Following a 71-91 record and a last-place finish a season ago, the club sought a turnaround this year. Unfortunately for the Redbirds, they’ve stumbled out of the gate, going 15-24 through their first 39 games.
Once again the basement dwellers in the National League Central, the Cards recently lost the first three games of a four-game series against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis was outscored 23-6 in those contests and dropped nine games behind in the standings on May 12.
Amid a long losing streak, one of the team’s veterans recently returned from the injured list with the hopes of helping spark the struggling squad. Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter said he spoke with the team’s younger players and offered encouragement.
Carpenter Addresses the Cardinals
In a recent story by Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Carpenter discussed where the Cardinals are at this point in the season. He also shared what he said to his teammates when he returned from a rehab assignment in Triple-A Memphis.
“Obviously, nobody in here wants to go through this,” Carpenter said. “But in this league, nobody is going to feel sorry for you. It’s the one thing I’ve learned over my years playing, both personally and collectively.”
Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter concluded his minor-league rehab assignment and rejoined the big league club before Saturday’s game in Milwaukee. t.co/lPEgbm4kw2 #STLCards
Carpenter then elaborated on the club’s need to put their early losses behind them.
“When you’re going through struggles as an individual, no one is going to feel sorry for you,” he stated. “And when you’re going through struggles as a team, guess what? You’ve got another game tomorrow, and nobody over there cares.”
“My message to our group is just simply ‘Look, the past is the past. The future we can’t control. All we have is today. We’ve got to go out and find a way to win. That’s how you turn these things around.”
Carpenter Talks Recovering From Injury
Carpenter spent the first 11 years of his MLB career with the Cardinals, from 2011-2021, before signing with the Texas Rangers. Over the next three years, he would also have stints with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.
He signed a one-year deal with the ‘Birds for 2024. He’s 5 for 14 on the season (.357), but he recently landed on the club’s 10-day injured list. The former three-time All-Star told the Post-Dispatch that his work during rehab helped him get into a comfort zone at the plate.
“There’s an element of a trust issue when you get back, too,” Carpenter said. “I had some at-bats down there where you’re still kind of feeling for it. My last few, I felt more free, like I could trust it and kind of let it go.”
Matt Carpenter may end up having a much larger role with Cardinals ✍️ @bishopcurtis5
“So that was kind of main stepping stone. You’ve got to reach down there, just feeling like you’re comfortable. Obviously, timing and all that stuff is important too, but being able to fully let it go (was the main thing). I was able to do that.”
The 38-year-old Carpenter is a career .260 hitter, with 175 home runs and 644 RBI. He won a Silver Slugger Award as a member of the Cardinals in 2013.