ST. LOUIS -- Two at-bats into Wednesday night, Harrison Bader already had a performance worth remembering, leaping into the shrubbery in center field to rob Willson Contreras of a home run and stymie what could have turned into a long night for Adam Wainwright.

In the end, it was just a precursor -- and an encapsulation.

Bader added a three-hit performance in the win, marking his first of the season -- and his fifth multihit game in his last seven contests entering Thursday’s series finale against the Cubs. It was a continuation of Bader's reformed approach in the batter’s box since he returned from the injured list on July 1. Since then, he has compiled a .352/.407/.537 slash line. His .810 OPS on the year, if qualified, would be the second highest on the Cardinals.

“He's got tremendous talent, we always knew that,” Wainwright said Wednesday. “ … He’s kind of turned a corner offensively, though, to become this total player that he’s come to be.”

In the macro, Bader's surge represented what St. Louis long believed its outfield had the potential to be but seldom has had the opportunity to show.

Bader missed the first 25 games of the season and then 34 from May into July with forearm and rib ailments. Tyler O’Neill missed 10 games in April with a right groin strain, eight in May with a left middle finger fracture and five starts at the beginning of July with both a right hand bruise and a severe allergic reaction. Dylan Carlson’s been the stalwart, never on the injured list and playing all three outfield positions.

But Thursday's finale was only the 24th time this year that the Cardinals have started Bader, Carlson and O’Neill in concert. It was the 97th game of the season.

The Cardinals are 8-7 since Bader returned on July 1 -- a wholly more positive trend than they were on in June. Even more positive: averaging 4.2 runs per game this month is a full run better than what they accumulated in June.

“Let's [not] kid ourselves: offensive outfield production is really important, and when we haven't had it -- regardless of who's out there -- it compromises our ability to score consistent runs,” said manager Mike Shildt. “When we have it, it makes life a lot easier.”

Goldy hits the big 1-0
When Paul Goldschmidt trotted onto the field Thursday, it resembled a major career milestone: 10 years of service time. Fewer than 10 percent of Major Leaguers hit that mark, according to the MLB Players Association, and Goldschmidt is the 21st to do so this season.

For Goldschmidt, his 10 years have gone as follows: two teams, six All-Star nods, three Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Sluggers and three Top 3 finishes for NL MVP.

“I can confidently tell you -- I've spoken to guys that played with him in Arizona because I had them in the Fall League, and I’ve seen it firsthand here in the last three years -- [Goldy] has not only gotten his 10 years of time, but he has helped his teammates increase their service time,” Shildt said. “And that's an amazing attribute. It says a lot about Goldy, that he’s intentional about growing others around him. So it's a special, special day for him. It’s an amazing accomplishment.”

Service time accounts for how many days a player spends on an active 26-man roster or the injured list. It might sound like a transactional term, which it is, but it carries significance to players and teams alike because it’s used to determine when players are eligible for arbitration, free agency and more. When a player reaches the 10-year mark, he is fully vested in the MLB pension program.

More Draft picks and signings
The Cardinals went over slot to pin down two of their remaining Draft picks, announcing on Thursday that they have signed shortstop Mack Chambers (11th round, New Mexico) and left-hander Chris Gerard (12th round, Virginia Tech). The deals are worth $175,000 and $250,000, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo -- both over the flat $125,000 slot value for post-10th-round picks. The Cards did not confirm the figures.

The club also announced that it signed four undrafted free agents, including Missouri products right-hander Ryan Loutos out of Wash U. and catcher Wade Stauss from Southeast Missouri State, as well as third baseman/outfielder Noah Mendlinger (Georgia College) and right-hander Bryan Pope (California Baptist).

St. Louis has just one of its top Draft picks left unsigned, prep right-hander Alec Wills from the seventh round, and three in total, along with outfielder Elijah Cabell (17th round, Florida State) and third baseman Xavier Casserilla (20th round, V.R. Eaton (Texas) HS).