Mitchell Parker will still be in the running for PFP. The 24-year-old Parker committed an error on two weakly hit balls in the top of the third inning in the final game of the four-game series on Monday afternoon. St. Louis Cardinals Manager Davey Martinez, who brought the left-hander to the field for a PFP after he made an error earlier this season in a game at Nationals Park, said the left-hander is scheduled to return tomorrow to do more fundamental work on the mound.
Parker was delayed on a leadoff single to right field that was caught by first baseman Juan Yepes, allowing batter Nolan Gorman to reach base. In his next at-bat, Parker and Yepes chased down a bunt, but neither could catch the ball in time. However, he got the first out with strike three, and in his next at-bat, he turned what should have been an inning-ending double play, but after receiving a throw from third baseman Trey Lipscomb, C.J. Abrams flicked Yepes’ throw at first base, allowing the Cardinals to score a run and take a 1–0 lead.
Parker’s second run of the game was a 3-1 fastball he hit belt-high over center field to Paul Goldschmidt in the fourth inning. The slugger then hit a 415-footer to left-center field for his 12th run of the season and a 2-0 lead that ended in a brutal 6-0 defeat in the nation’s capital.
“It wasn’t good,” manager Davey Martinez said of the defense in the series finale, which featured a mental miscue by Parker as well as two errors by Abrams. “You saw the game. It wasn’t good.”
“We’ve got to clean it up. We can’t beat ourselves and we beat ourselves a little bit today.”
Coach Martinez didn’t hold back when talking about Parker’s recent defensive/defensive issues.
“Parker’s got to get the ball. He’s got to get to the base and get the ball, and he’s struggling with that,” Martinez explained, “because we know he’s going to come off the mound to the right side, but he’s got to get there.”
“He’s got to get there with the bunt. We’ve got to ask for the ball, but Parker’s got to get there.”
Why does he have trouble getting to the ball on the right side? Like Martinez said, he falls off to the right side.
“You have to understand that once you throw the ball, you have an obligation to be another fielder on the field. So if the ball is hit to first base, you have to tell yourself that you have to get to that base.”
Parker accepted responsibility in his post-game speech.
“At the end of the day, I just need to figure it out,” Parker said, according to MASN’s Mark Zuckerman.
“Between that half-step when you’re not covering first base and catching a ground ball, you just can’t let that happen.”
Parker’s 91 pitches in seven innings were solid overall, allowing just six hits and two runs.Get one), striking out six in the start and allowing one walk. He struck out 11 batters, six of which were sliders, and threw 14 strikes, seven of which were four-seam pitches.
“Once again, Parker was fantastic. He pitched seven strong innings, but we just couldn’t capitalize on the guys on base.”
Of course, they didn’t get any scoring support and their efforts ended in a loss. The team was trailing 2-0 going into the seventh inning, but went 0-for-6 with seven runners in scoring position as the Cardinals added two more runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Martinez is hoping his team can finish strong before the All-Star break after a hot and humid few weeks that saw them play a number of games.
“Look, this is a tiring time of year,” he said, “and I know the holidays are coming up.
“So we’ve got to work a little harder. Everybody’s tired. The Cardinals are tired. We’re tired.
“we Mets [in Citi Field]They’re going to be tired. You have to find a way. And the best way to do that is to focus on the little things. You have to start focusing on the little things and not beating yourself up.”
