St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt started his season slow, batting .190 with a .590 OPS in his first 37 games of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. However, he suddenly found his stroke, helping his team close the gap with their National League rivals.
In his last 13 games, Goldschmidt has hit .321 with a 1.029 OPS. During that stretch, he had five games with at least two hits and connected on five home runs. He also had 11 RBIs, including four during their May 26 game against the Chicago Cubs.
His solid hitting elevated his hitting to .222/.297/.656 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs in 198 at-bats. More importantly, his batting helped the Cardinals win seven of their last nine games, resulting in series victories against the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and the Cubs.
Paul Goldschmidt was batting .190 with a .530 OPS in his first 37 games of the season
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 27, 2024
In his last 13 games Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .321 with a 1.029 OPS pic.twitter.com/WsXCZ39MJk
Those victories improved their mark to 25-27, putting them one game behind the Cubs for second place in the NL Central and 5.5 games behind division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are also 1.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final spot in the NL Playoffs.
Goldschmidt and the Cardinals can maintain their good fortunes when they face the Cincinnati Reds on May 29 at 7:40 p.m. Eastern Time.
-Lance Fernandez