‘Old number 1’: Ponce rides fastball for a W

As Daniel Ponce de Leon made his way through Spring Training -- his grasp firm around a rotation spot given the plethora of injuries to Cardinals starters -- his homework assignment was to limit walks, get ahead in counts and find a way to stray from the high pitch counts that have followed him throughout his career.

At least one of those goals was accomplished in Monday’s 4-1 series-opening win over the Marlins at loanDepot park. In his first start of the year, Ponce de Leon conceded a single free pass across five innings of one-run baseball, which in turn became the crispest outing from a Cardinals starter four games into the 2021 season.

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The positive start morphed into something even better, as St. Louis received a breezy night in the first showings from its high-leverage arms in a save situation, after Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes allowed a combined two baserunners en route to Reyes' first save of the year.

Ponce de Leon set the stage by serving Marlins batters a hefty dose of fastballs, with 83 of his 93 pitches (89.2 percent) coming in the form of four-seamers. Since 2008, when pitches were first tracked, that’s the second-highest rate of four-seamers thrown in a start (minimum 90 pitches), behind only Milwakuee’s Freddy Peralta 91.8 percent rate in 2018.

Ponce de Leon tested his breaking pitches in the bullpen before the game but none were working, he said. He and Yadier Molina conferred, and the game plan became clear.

“We stuck with the old number 1,” Ponce de Leon said.

And it worked.

“That's the definition of pitching,” said manager Mike Shildt. “You'd love to go out there with all your weapons working and firing exactly how you want to fire, but some days doesn’t happen. … He’s got a fastball that just gets on guys, kind of a disappearing fastball. He was able to throw it and command it today, and clearly it's a plus pitch for him and it was on display tonight.”

Ponce de Leon said he didn’t let the pitfalls of his rotation predecessors dictate his outing, after Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martínez conceded 16 earned runs in 12 innings to open the season. But he had one live product from which to glean.

Marlins starter Taylor Rogers opened his night with three walks to his first four batters, ultimately allowing the first run to score without a hit conceded.

“I've been in many of those holes in my life,” Ponce de Leon said. “I kind of knew what he was feeling out there, and I don't want to feel that anymore in my life.”

The free passes drawn by St. Louis allowed Molina to cash in with a two-run double -- passing Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for eighth all time among catchers, with 382 two-baggers -- and set the stage for Tommy Edman’s first homer of 2021 to extend the lead in the fifth.

Off a fiery weekend in Cincinnati, Shildt and Co. could then rest easy.

• What Cincy series taught Shildt about Cards

Hicks carved his way through a 1-2-3 sixth, tossing a particularly bending 100.3 mph sinker high and inside to Brian Anderson for his lone strikeout of the night. It allowed Gallegos to pitch a pair of clean innings -- amassing his own share of nasty pitches -- and Reyes to come in for his first save since essentially being named the closer -- for now.

Monday resembled a step forward for Hicks, who made his return to the big leagues on Saturday and then was called upon again after one day of rest. The flamethrower is working his way back into game action after June 2019 Tommy John surgery.

For now it’s the sixth inning. Soon it will be later in games.

“As he progresses based on the day, sure, he can absolutely with that kind of stuff go get the eighth and clearly get the ninth as well,” Shildt said. “They’re nice assets to have, weapons to use.”