ST. LOUIS -- It didn’t take long for Lars Nootbaar to make his presence felt as a member of the Cardinals' lineup on Friday night.
It took the ‘Tarps Off’ section even less time to bring back the familiar “NOOOT!” chant. Nootbaar had a pair of hits including an RBI double in his return off the injured list from double heel surgery, as the Cardinals rallied for a 10-3 win over the Reds.
“I had some goosebumps walking out to the outfield and butterflies, you know, before the first inning and first at-bat,” Nootbaar said. “For me it felt like Opening Day, for the rest of the guys it feels like game 61 or whatever it is, so that calmed my nerves down a little bit, because it wasn't a bunch of angst or anything in the clubhouse.”
Nootbaar completed his 20-day Minor League rehab on Wednesday -- in essence his Spring Training -- and slid right back into the leadoff role as JJ Wetherholt sat for the second straight game with a sore groin.
He wasted no time sparking the offense, legging out an infield single and advancing to second on a throwing error in the first and he doubled and scored to ignite a six-run sixth inning as the Cardinals broke it open by sending 12 batters to the plate.
“It reminded me of playing football, where you have all those nerves before the game, and then the first time you get hit, you know, you kind of get over it,” Nootbaar said. “And so for this, it was like after the first at-bat, you kind of settle in a little bit.”
Nootbaar, 28, has a career batting average of .242 with 58 homers, 194 RBIs and a .747 OPS over five big league seasons. He has played all three outfield positions in his career, but figures to slot into left field for the majority of his games this season for St. Louis.
Once Wetherholt returns, Nootbaar figures to add needed length to the Cardinals' lineup. St. Louis' 5-9 hitters have batted a combined .218 with 28 homers and 128 RBIs, compared to a .266 average with 37 homers and 132 RBIs generated by the top four spots.
“He's going to give you a really good at-bat, he's going to make you work,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He just controls the strike zone so well, and when you come in the zone, he makes you pay. But a big swing by him today. I liked what we saw. Made a really nice play in the gap as well toward left-center. So overall, it's awesome to have him back in this lineup, not only because of his skillset, but the energy he brings, and you look at our team and the overall excitement and the vibe that they play with, he doubles down on that, which is awesome.”
Nootbaar had plenty of help with the offense. Alec Burleson homered as part of a two-hit night and scored four runs, Iván Herrera walked once and scored a pair of runs and Jordan Walker had three hits.
“He brings the energy,” Walker said of Nootbaar. “I mean, we've had a lot of energy this year, but he's like the heart and core of it. Even when he wasn't here, I feel like he was like through texts and everything like that for the team, he was bringing energy.”
It was the third time this season that the Cardinals offense hit double-digit runs in a game. Eight different hitters recorded an RBI, the most in a game since 10 Cardinals did it at Pittsburgh on May 22, 2022.
It was more than enough to pick up Kyle Leahy, who allowed three runs -- all in the first -- in his four innings. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out one.
Hunter Dobbins once again shined in long relief, throwing five scoreless innings. Dobbins (1-0) allowed four hits, walked two and struck out six.
Dobbins has allowed just one run in 8 2/3 innings of relief since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis on May 31.
“He’s very confident, he's very prepared, he believes in his stuff, there's conviction behind every pitch,” Marmol said of Dobbins. “I like his overall demeanor and mentality that he brings to the table. He wants to help win, and you want as many of those guys as possible.”