Nolan Gorman (STL): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, BB.

Need I Say Gorman

Just like that and the Cardinals have won 7 of their last 10 games. They also lead baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage over the last seven days. They were coming off a highly successful weekend in Boston during which Nolan Arenado finally saw some significant production when they decided to put up 18 runs against Brewers pitching on Monday.

It was, however, almost a given that it was a matter of time before Arenado would heat up. Perhaps more important for St. Louis is that Nolan Gorman in such a way deserving of the cleanup spot. Gorman ended his day a triple short of the cycle while having scored two runs and knocking in five. He now holds a .979 OPS with 10 home runs on the year.

With the removal of Willson Contreras from catching duties, Cardinals pitching appears to be picking up steam as well. Although the Cardinals now find themselves still eight games below five hundred, in the basement of their division, and 6.5 games behind the first-place Brewers, St. Louis has a very good, if not great, roster with a mix of young talent and veterans. They were the logical pick before the season to take the NL Central and, based on what they have shown they can do over the past week, they remain a great pick to win the division.

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Monday:

 

Brenton Doyle (COL): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI.

In powering the Rockies past the Reds, Brenton Doyle has three home runs in his last two games. Doyle’s first home run on Monday came in the fourth inning off of Hunter Greene and left his bat at 103 mph. His second home run came in the eighth inning off of Buck Farmer. Doyle also slapped a double down the left field line in the second inning off of Greene.

 

Joey Meneses (WSH): 4-5, 3 2B, 4 RBI.

Joey Meneses struggled through the first month of the season posting just a .682 OPS and a 87 wRC+. He was essentially a singles hitter that did not walk enough to justify being an “on-base guy.” On Monday, however, the designated hitter hit half the number of doubles he had throughout the entire month of April.

 

Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-2, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB.

Since returning from a brief IL stint, Aaron Judge and his .840 slugging percentage have not looked back. On Monday, Judge’s first-inning home run off of Alek Manoah traveled 375 into the right field stands. Then, his eighth-inning home run, which was the hardest-hit ball of the game at 114.9 mph, was crushed 462 feet into center field.

 

Alex Bregman (HOU): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Alex Bregman continues to put together a consistent output this year but had a great night on Monday. His seventh-inning home run off of Micahel Fulmer traveled 366 feet into the left-field seats. Bregman’s single and groundout off of Jameson Taillon both left the third baseman’s bat traveling around 100 mph.

 

Orlando Arcia (ATL): 2-2, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.

Atlanta’s nine-hitter has hit like a mid-order bat this season. Orlando Arcia had yet another big night at the plate. He did not just fail to make an out, but the shortstop was also responsible for some of the hardest-hit balls of the game. Arcia’s second-inning double off Cody Bradford left his bat at 107.1 mph and his sixth-inning home run left his bat at 107.8 mph.

 

Cal Raleigh (SEA): 3-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI.

On Monday, Cal Raleigh’s pair of homers made him the first-ever catcher to homer from both sides of the plate in Fenway Park. Raleigh hammered his first home run off of Tanner Houck in the fifth inning and it traveled 435 feet down the right-field line. He socked his second home run in the following inning 434 feet over the Green Monster in left-center field.

 

Shohei Ohtani (LAA): 4-5, 3B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB.

Shohei Ohtani came within a double of hitting for the cycle on Monday. His fourth-inning home run off of Grayson Rodriguez was the farthest and hardest hit ball of the game and his triple off of Logan Gillaspie was smoked to the right field wall. He has been tearing the cover off the ball as of late and is slugging .603 in his last 15 games while getting on base at a .433 clip.

 

Max Muncy (LAD): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

Max Muncy’s pair of early home runs off of Pablo López got Los Angeles’ offense going for what would be a long night ahead of them. Both home runs left Muncy’s bat with exit velocities around 107 mph. Furthermore, Muncy’s single in the fifth inning off of Brock Stewart left Muncy’s bat at 101 mph.

 

Jorge Polanco (MIN): 3-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB.

A triple shy of the cycle, Jorge Polanco broke out of his hate slump with a bang…or a couple of them, instead. Polanco’s fourth-inning home run off of Noah Syndergaard was torched down the right field line at 110.1 mph. He followed that up with a double in the eighth inning off of Yency Almonte that left his bat at 111.2 mph.

 

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswiree | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter) and Aaron Polcare