Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Silver Slugger Has 'Turned It On' With Latest Hitting Resurgence

St. Louis is dependent on the star player's success

Nate Hagerty

Aug 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a two run single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a two run single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The St. Louis Cardinals have an uphill battle ahead of them if they hope to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and star players will need to step up.

Offensively, the Cardinals have been one of the worst teams in the league this season. Over the last two months, St. Louis has been hitting better but the lineup still ranks No. 22 in the league with 481 runs scored.

Hopefully, the rest of the Cardinals lineup will follow the lead of one slugger whose resurgence at the plate could have a huge impact on how the season ends for St. Louis.

"'He's (Nolan Arenado) turned it on to a different level,' (Oli) Marmol said," MLB.com's Joe Harris wrote Thursday when quoting the Cardinals manager talking about his third baseman's recent rise in performance. “His at-bats are looking really good and he's locked in defensively.”

Arenado is batting .400 with 12 hits including three extra-base hits, six RBIs and a .938 OPS in only eight games played in August this season.

The 33-year-old was mentioned as a potential trade candidate at the beginning of the season when the Cardinals looked like definite sellers. However, Arenado was struggling so badly on offense at the time that St. Louis likely would've been disappointed on their return if they had dealt him away.

It's been a down year for the potential future Hall of Fame candidate but he's not the only Cardinals superstar struggling in 2024. Both sluggers' production over the final 46 games of 2024 could make or break the team's season. So far, Arenado seems to be on the right track to help lead his team to victory.

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Nate Hagerty

NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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