Willson

Contreras

The 33-year-old first baseman got the Cardinals on the board in the first inning as he swatted an RBI double off of Yu Darvish. He then connected on a 415-foot (108.0 mph EV) three-run blast in the second inning that extended the Cardinals’ early lead to 7-2. Contreras also drew a walk in the ballgame, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances. On the season, he’s now slashing .262/.345/.452 with 14 long balls and 61 RBI.

Contreras got the Cardinals on the board with a solo homer in the fourth, and then drove in a run on a single an inning later that gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead. The roundtripper gives Contreras 13 on the season, and a three-hit night pushes his slash to .256/.341/.436. Contreras has been even better than that since the start of May, and it’s a nice reminder that there’s still offensive upside in his right-handed bat at the age of 33.

This was an odd day for Contreras; he had a flyout on a 109.1-mph missile with a .980 xBA and a double on a 78.6-mph flyball with a .040 xBA. That double surely would have been caught by Ronald Acuña Jr. under normal circumstances, but because the field was wet after two delays and he had an infielder closing in on him as he ran in, the ball dropped.

Contreras sparked a five-run uprising with a leadoff single in the sixth inning and ultimately scored on an RBI single off the bat of Nolan Arenado. He then capped off the Cardinals’ scoring with a 406-foot (104.7 mph EV) blast off of Jackson Rutledge in the seventh inning that made it an 8-0 ballgame. On the season, the 33-year-old slugger is now hitting .254/.343/.430 with the aforementioned 12 homers and 52 RBI.

As a team, the Cardinals only tallied six hits in the contest, with Contreras the only member of the offense to collect more than one. He has had a solid first half offensively, slashing .250/.341/.420 with 11 homers and 51 RBI.

Contreras went 0-for-3 on Friday afternoon following a one-game absence after being hit by a pitch earlier this week on the left hand. It’s an encouraging sign heading into the weekend that he’s in St. Louis’ lineup for the second consecutive game against his former club and isn’t dealing with any lingering swelling or pain.

He’s playing first base and batting fourth against the Cubs.

Contreras was hit by a pitch on his hand during Tuesday’s game. His X-rays came back negative, but he’s understandably a little sore today, in the best-case scenario. There is still time for the Cardinals to put Contreras on the IL if that’s the route they choose to go, but so far, all we know is that he will now start on Wednesday. Alec Burleson will play first base, and Jose Fermin will start in right field.

Contreras has been diagnosed with a contusion and is day-to-day for the moment. The Cardinals aren’t completely out of the woods yet, but it’s undoubtedly a positive sign that initial X-rays didn’t reveal any fractures. There should be a definitive update on the 33-year-old’s status heading into Wednesday’s showdown in Pittsburgh, but early indications are that he’s avoided serious injury.

Ugh. Contreras left the contest in the fourth inning after being plunked by a 99 mph fastball from Pirates ace Paul Skenes. He stayed in the game initially to run the bases, but was lifted for a defensive replacement in the bottom of the frame. He’ll presumably head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status shortly.