Pressure drop: Contreras' first big Cards hit a relief

ST. LOUIS -- When Willson Contreras' first big hit as a Cardinal finally came on Friday at Busch Stadium, the catcher threw his arms out to his sides, looked to the heavens and thanked the baseball gods for a single that had been a long time coming.

Stuck in an 0-for-22 slump and very conscious of a 2-for-11 skid with runners in scoring position that included a frustrating strikeout earlier in the night, Contreras was the happiest man in the ballpark when he went with an outside pitch and dumped a single into right-center to plate Nolan Arenado. Contreras’ clutch hit gave the Cardinals a two-run lead, and they went to beat the Pirates, 3-0, one night after being shut out when they squandered several big opportunities.

“I was just celebrating and I was like, ‘Thanks God!’” Contreras said of an animated celebration that included slapping the hand of first-base coach Stubby Clapp about as hard as he hit the ball. “I'm embracing the pressure, but it’s just been a slow start. But I know I'll be OK. I still have to show up tomorrow as the same guy that I showed up as today and get better.”

Contreras came to St. Louis by virtue of an $87.5 million free-agent contract, and he’s had the additional pressure of trying to replace Cardinals legend Yadier Molina behind the plate. It certainly didn’t make things any easier that he came into Friday’s game hitting .171 with just one extra-base hit and only two RBIs. As someone who prefers to play with an edge and show his emotions, Contreras said he couldn’t allow himself to pout about his season-starting slump because that would have been a selfish act.

“There’s a lot of times where I put the team first and then I put myself [next],” said Contreras, whose last hit before Friday’s fourth at-bat came in the first inning of a win in Milwaukee on Saturday. “That’s what the team needs right now. It’s not about me; it’s about trying to find ways to win games. Then, when things get going better, I’ll put more [pressure] on myself.”

The Cardinals were not only shut out on Thursday by the Pirates, but they went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They came into Friday in the top five in baseball in batting average [.276], on-base percentage [.347] and OPS [.779], but their record sagged to 5-8 because of ranking 25th in average with runners in scoring position [.238] and 23rd in average with RISP and two outs [.208].

Much of Friday was shaping up with the same narrative, as the Cardinals failed in their first six chances with runners in scoring position, including a fourth-inning collapse where they could not convert with runners on first and third and nobody out.

Nolan Gorman broke the scoreless tie and the 0-for-15 skid with runners in scoring position with a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. Two innings later, with the Cardinals perilously clinging to a 1-0 edge, Contreras came through with his most important hit yet as a Cardinal.

“It was good, he's been wanting that, and hopefully it jump-starts him, because he's a big part of our offense,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “This is guy that cares. He's putting in a lot of work, so to see him come through, it was good and hopefully this gets him going.”

Marmol has said repeatedly since Contreras signed with the Cards in December that the catcher was a hated player to face when he was previously with the Cubs. Now, the Cardinals have embraced the emotion and fire that Contreras plays with and shows regularly throughout games. Silently, Marmol wondered how Contreras would handle a rough patch in the season.

Said Marmol: “This is a guy who’s actually taken it well for the lack of success that he's had up to this point and how hard he's working at it, both offensively and defensively. It'll start to fall for him, and it'll be a lot of fun because he's a guy that can really hit.”

Hitting behind superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Arenado, Contreras knows he is going to constantly be up in big spots with chances to drive in loads of runs for the Cardinals. He stressed to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and Marmol that he wanted to hit fifth when he signed with the Cards, and he was happy that the manager stuck by him in that spot through that slow start to his Cardinals career.

“We all need that trust and to have somebody who has your back,” said Contreras, who added a key tag out at the plate in the fourth inning to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard. “Oli likes to keep guys accountable, but having him have my back, that’s huge. … I feel good in that fifth spot. I don’t know why, but it feels good.”