Carlson ends Kershaw’s perfecto bid, then makes 2 amazing grabs

LOS ANGELES -- If there are two things the Cardinals trust Dylan Carlson to do, it’s play outstanding defense and hit left-handers.

Carlson did both in St. Louis’ 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Judging from one decision late in the game, they might trust him to do even more in the future.

It’s hard to ignore Carlson’s dramatic splits both throughout his career and this season. Coming into Saturday, the switch-hitter was 6-for-16 batting right-handed against lefties in 2023, while he was 7-for-36 hitting left-handed vs. righties.

Yet when the game was on the line with two outs, a runner on and Carlson due up in the top of the ninth, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol opted not to pinch-hit, despite right-hander Brusdar Graterol being on the mound.

“You can flip the coin there,” said Marmol. “You can go either way. But Dylan, that's an opportunity there, and the way he plays center field, we wanted to give him a shot. He's into the game, mentally, emotionally, and we wanted to see what he could do there.”

Carlson grounded out to shortstop to end the game, giving the Cardinals their ninth loss in their last 12 games. But Carlson was grateful for his manager’s willingness to give him that chance.

“It's something I want to do and it's something I feel I'm very capable of doing,” said Carlson. “So to be given that opportunity was nice. Would have been nice for the ball to get through or do something productive for the team there. But it was nice to be given that opportunity.”

Part of why Carlson earned that opportunity was due to his performance earlier in the game. Veteran southpaw Clayton Kershaw was in vintage form for Los Angeles, retiring the first 13 Cardinals he faced. But Carlson ended the perfect-game bid with one out in the top of the fifth by knocking a 2-1 fastball into center field.

For Carlson, the key was staying true to his approach at the plate and not getting hung up on the zeros on the scoreboard.

“The game was going by so quick,” said Carlson. “We're all just competing and you’re so in the moment. I don't really think you get caught up in that as much as just being locked in to what you're trying to do in the moment.”

Carlson stole the show in the bottom half of the frame, too. With one out, Mookie Betts lined a ball off Cardinals starter Jordan Montgomery that Carlson had to go back on to make an over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track.

“Carlson picked me up there,” said Montgomery, who struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. “He's such a great athlete. Just a really good player. I'm glad he's on my team.”

That arguably wasn’t even the most impressive play Carlson would make on the night. In the bottom of the eighth, Miguel Vargas came up with runners on first and second and two outs and lined a ball to the right-center-field gap. Carlson got a good jump and was able to make a sliding grab on the liner, which had a 35 percent catch probability, good for a four-star catch, per Statcast.

“It felt like [I was running for] a while,” said Carlson. “That ball was slicing. So just to kind of run with it, and then, obviously, I have to slide, so I go down and keep my eyes in a good spot, keep them out of the lights. Just glad I came up with it.”

On a team flush with outfielders, consistent playing time has not been easy to come by for Carlson this season. This can lead to something of a vicious cycle -- it’s difficult to stay consistent without regular playing time, and it’s difficult to get playing time without consistent results. So how has Carlson handled that uncertainty?

“It's definitely hard. It's not ideal. It has its challenges,” said Carlson. “But we've been around for a while, some of us here. So I’m just staying ready and be ready whenever the opportunity is given and trying to make the most out of it.”