MILWAUKEE -- Stuck for weeks a rut that rivals the one that got him demoted in September 2022 and the one that derailed his hot start to the 2023, Cardinals lefty slugger Nolan Gorman has started journaling as a way to better channel his thoughts and frustrations and to steady his often harsh critiques of himself.

Finally, at long last, Gorman strung together a couple of uplifting performances that should give him some feel-good material to jot down.

The Cardinals’ losing streak reached seven games on Saturday when slugger Rhys Hoskins smacked a 3-2 pitch for a three-run homer that handed St. Louis a 5-3 defeat. Before that latest gut-punch moment for a Cardinals club that dropped to a season-worst nine games below .500, there were some signs of life from an offense that has been languishing for weeks.

Paul Goldschmidt struck out four times, but he ended an 0-for-32 skid with a line-drive single in the ninth. Veteran Matt Carpenter was activated off the injured list and not only played in an MLB game for the first time since April 1, but he recorded two hits as the DH. Lars Nootbaar also had three hits, including a two-run single in the fifth inning after Masyn Winn ended a stretch in which the Cardinals had been 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Then there’s the curious case of Gorman, who spent most of his 24th birthday on Friday on the bench before entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth and smashing a solo home run. On Saturday, Gorman was on base three times, and his RBI double in the sixth inning gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

For Gorman, Friday’s smash and Saturday’s hits were welcomed signs following an April in which he struck out 29 times and hit just .188. Also, he came into Friday without a hit in his previous five games, but he had been seeing the ball better as evidenced by the four walks he drew in that span.

“Just a little momentum to have a ball go your way, but I’ve been doing some good work, and that’s helped,” said Gorman, who raised his season average to .192 with his single and double on Saturday night. “Everybody’s going through it right now, and everybody in here has been leaning on each other. It’s a clubhouse where everybody wants the best for the next guy. We’re battling and trying to pull some stuff out.”

In addition to working on improving his swing, Gorman said he started working with a mental skills coach two weeks ago to try and strengthen his mind. Gorman never shows much emotion -- whether he is thriving at the plate or struggling -- but he is often his own worst critic. As a way to try and detach himself from performances and not be overly critical of himself, Gorman started journaling each night to give himself a healthy outlet for his thoughts.

“I’ll bring a journal back to the hotel or the house and once I finish that and I close the book, it’s over,” Gorman said. “This journal is a little bit different. I go through at-bats and write down quality at-bats. Other than that, it’s a little different journal than one with just scouting reports in it.

“It’s just a journal that I keep, and it’s got things in it to keep me steady.”

The Cardinals’ offense was much steadier on Saturday, reaching Milwaukee ace Freddy Peralta and the bullpen for 12 hits. However, St. Louis left far too many runners on base (10) because of its 2-for-10 hitting with runners in scoring position. The most promising sign of the night, Cards manager Oliver Marmol said, was the way Gorman swung the bat after struggling in recent weeks.

“He could be hitting .290 with an .850 [OPS] and he’d be walking around the same way he is now,” Marmol said. “Today was a better day for him. We need to build off that and instill confidence because we’re going to need him.”

Continuing to work on his swing and using his journal as an outlet for his emotions, Gorman said he’s “in a good place” after a slow start. He is hopeful that his better swings can help him find the groove that allowed him to hit a team-high 27 home runs in 2023.

“For me, it’s just about working on the mental side of the game and taking everything one pitch at a time,” Gorman said. “I’m just trying to do the best that I can with winning every pitch.”