Palacios impressing Cards with power, versatility

ST. LOUIS -- Wednesday’s game at rainy Busch Stadium offered up a variety of good news/bad news scenarios for second-year outfielder Richie Palacios.

The good news for Palacios, who made a nifty sliding catch in left field, was that he drilled an RBI single through the right side for his fifth RBI in his past seven games. The bad news, however, was that his Cardinals lost 8-2 to the Brewers, and his single stopped his streak of four straight hits all being home runs -- something no Cardinal had accomplished since Tyler O’Neill did it in August 2022.

The inability to continue his surprising power barrage ties in with another storyline involving the affable, 26-year-old Palacios on Wednesday. Some 300 miles away, Richie’s older brother, Joshua Palacios, hit a three-run home run at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and the Pirates walloped the Cubs’ 13-7. Joshua’s ninth home run moved him further ahead of Richie’s five in the brotherly battle, but that long ball was clearly good news for a family that has enjoyed tremendous success over the second half of this season.

“For me, after every game, the first thing I do is thank God for keeping me healthy and then I go check the box scores from my brother’s game,” said Richie, who went 1-for-4 Wednesday while Joshua was 2-for-6 with the homer for Pittsburgh. “It's pretty cool to be able to look at what he has done -- even if I have had a tough game. When he has a good game or I have a great game, it's like a great day for our family.”

Richie has strung together several good days with the Cardinals. Last week, Palacios homered twice in Baltimore -- not far from where he starred in college for Towson -- to help Cardinals cornerstone Adam Wainwright secure the 199th win of his career. A night later, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Palacios homered again to help Cards’ lefty Drew Rom snag his first MLB win.

Despite all that, Palacios considers his favorite moment of the season -- and in his 76-game MLB career with the Guardians and Cards -- as starting in left field on Monday and playing a small role in Wainwright becoming the fifth active MLB pitcher with 200 wins. Feeling the magnitude of that moment, Palacios desperately dove for a sinking liner and came inches from making a spectacular catch. Otherwise, he played a solid left field as Wainwright twirled seven scoreless innings for the signature win.

“That’s definitely the most special moment I’ve had in the big leagues -- being able to be a part of something that special,” Palacios said. “Being a part of history, watching Waino compete and being able to play behind him, he inspires us all. I loved that moment for him.”

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol loves what he’s seen so far from Palacios, who was designated for assignment by the Guardians on June 11 and traded to the Cardinals for an undisclosed sum of cash on June 16. Marmol loves players with positional versatility, and the fact that Palacios can play all three outfield slots and some occasional second base has opened eyes around the organization.

“He’s taken some good at-bats, he’s obviously hit for power, he makes contact and he understands the strike zone,” Marmol said. “He just gives you a really tough at-bat. Even left-on-left, he’s taken some really tough at-bats. He’s a confident kid who enjoys being out there. He enjoys the competition, and it’s been fun to watch him.”

When he started in left field on a pressure-packed night as Wainwright was going for his 200th win, Palacios couldn’t help but think back to when the Guardians DFA’d him and the Cardinals traded for him. That trying time proved to be a great point of reflection for him.

“For me, it gave me time to think about how things weren’t going the best for me in the beginning of the season and being able to adapt, which is the name of the game,” said Palacios, who has hit .267 with an .863 OPS in 22 games with the Cardinals. “I had those five days or so, waiting to get traded or claimed, and I worked on what has made me successful in the past.

“For me, it was just about going back and looking at swings that made me successful. I just had to get back to what was already there, and that’s brought me success with the Cardinals.”