Cards get Nootbaar, his infectious energy back in lineup

ST. LOUIS -- As much pain as Cardinals leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar was in after fouling a bouncing ball off his lower abdomen on Aug. 16, it paled in comparison, he stressed, to the mental anguish he endured while missing two-plus weeks of action.

Nootbaar is the essence of high energy -- with his twitchy, relentless plan of attack at the plate while working pitchers deep into counts, with his fearless, hustling style of defense and his talkative, smiling persona. However, Nootbaar admittedly struggles when he’s not in games, and he despises downtime. Often, the mental toll of injuries -- when players feel isolated from their teammates and helpless not being able to contribute to winning -- is more taxing than dealing with the pain from an injury, Nootbaar said.

“Yeah, it’s brutal,” Nootbaar said of his time away from the game while injured. “You just want to help the team in any way possible, and you really can't, so that part of it stinks. So, yeah, mentally you just try to wrap your head around stuff, but you're not really thinking logically at that time, unfortunately. So, the mental toll is just as big, if not bigger, than the physical one, for sure.”

Nootbaar, one of the Cardinals’ hottest hitters much of the second half of the season before getting injured, made his much-anticipated return to the lineup on Friday in the Cardinals’ 4-2 loss in 10 innings to the Pirates at Busch Stadium. Nootbaar had a nifty running catch on a Jason Delay liner in the right-center gap, but he had little to show for his time at the plate, ending the night with a few rockets, including a deep fly ball near the warning track, that the Pirates turned into outs, one walk and one strikeout.

“It’s just the way it is sometimes; it didn’t go our way, and it felt like they had some hits that were nicely placed, but that’s baseball,” Nootbaar said of a Cardinals’ team that hit several balls on a line right at defenders. “It was great [being back], and I kind of had some nerves and I don’t know why. But going back out there and playing is always fun for me.”

Nootbaar’s frustration was emblematic of the Cardinals’ frustration in a bizarre 10th inning. Closer JoJo Romero surrendered two infield singles and fell victim to a third hit that was changed from an error to a hit, leading to three Pirates’ runs in the 10th inning.

The Cardinals were hoping to win in walk-off fashion for a third straight game -- something they hadn’t done since May 2015 also against the Pirates. The Cardinals won on Tuesday in the bottom of the 10th inning when Tommy Edman hit the first pitch that he saw from Padres All-Star closer Josh Hader off the wall in left to score rookie Masyn Winn. Then, on Wednesday, Edman was the hero again when he went with an up-and-away pitch from Hader and hit a two-run homer.

On Friday, Edman got into scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cardinals were unable to get him in, setting the stage for the 10th, when the Pirates scored three runs. This time around, Winn’s 101.3 mph liner was right at Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes to end the ninth-inning rally.

As excited as Nootbaar was to return on Friday, the Cardinals were even more thrilled to see their leadoff hitter and center fielder back in action because of the infectious energy he brings to the team.

One of the Cardinals worst stretches of the season -- one where they lost three of four at home to the Mets and two of three in Pittsburgh -- corresponded with them being without three of their best threats from the left side of the plate. Nootbaar’s absence with the lower abdomen contusion came at a time when the Cardinals were also without fellow lefty hitters Brendan Donovan (season-ending arm surgery) and Nolan Gorman (lower back strain).

Manager Oliver Marmol could hardly hide his excitement over getting Nootbaar back in the lineup on Friday because of the trickle-down effect his enthusiasm and energy usually has on his teammates.

“It’s more than [his offensive output] because he brings a lot to the club in terms of energy, how he keeps things loose, and he brings a little fire,” Marmol said. “That combination and his personality are what we need, and when he’s not here, it’s definitely missed. So, I’m really glad he’s back.”

Nootbaar’s injury interrupted his stellar second half where he hit .330 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs with an eye-popping 1.027 OPS in his first 30 games after the MLB All-Star Game. Now, he’s hoping to locate that swing again soon.

“I felt fine, but it’s always a little different when you first come back,” Nootbaar said. “Given the circumstances, I felt all right.”