Cardinals Defeat Rays In Nail Biter; Rising Star Achieves Career Milestone

St. Louis needs to keep the momentum going

Aug 6, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) celebrates with third base coach Ron 'Pop' Warner (75) after hitting a two run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are back on the right track after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in a much-needed win that came down to the wire.

Cardinals ace Sonny Gray got off on the wrong foot after giving up a two-run home run in the top of the first inning but pitched lights out afterward to help set up Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley to close out the final two innings.

Although Gray is the most notable star of the game, there was a young Cardinals outfielder who had a standout performance that can't be ignored.

St. Louis center fielder Victor Scott II smashed his first career home run in the bottom of the second inning off Jeffrey Spring's four-seam fastball to put the Cardinals' first runs on the board and tie the game 2-2.

First career home run for Victor Scott II! 💣#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/F5J1di42aE

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 7, 2024

Scott was recalled from Triple-A Memphis recently after Michael Siani was placed on the 10-day injured list for a right oblique strain, which can sometimes be tricky to heal.

The slugger began the season patrolling the Cardinals outfield but was quickly demoted after struggling mightily at the plate.

However, after making a few tweaks to his swing in the minors, Scott's hitting stats started to improve. He went from recording a .555 OPS in June to logging a .208/.322/.389 slash line with three home runs and 15 RBIs in July.

It seems that Scott was chosen over another deserving prospect because of his resurgence at the plate -- plus, he's a more compatible replacement for Siani on defense.

It'll be interesting to see how the speedy center fielder performs while Siani recovers from his injury. One thing's for sure after tonight -- Scott looks much more comfortable at the plate than he did earlier in the season.

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