Colorado Rockies at St. Louis Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt’s go-ahead swing in the eighth inning of the Cardinals’ 7-4 win over the Rockies on Sunday at Busch Stadium sent the standout rookie directly into his next task. Replacing his bat with a pen, Wetherholt wasted no time before diving into his routine to journal about the day’s action. From Sunday, his future self will receive a reminder about how to handle late-game plate appearances that carry the potential to drive in the winning run -- and how a calm mind in those moments can pay dividends. “Just trying to write down the mentality going into that,” Wetherholt explained. “In those situations, especially as a leadoff guy, I feel like it can be rarer than most. So, you get those situations, you can really get amped up and just try to be the hero. "So, in that situation, I just tried to stay calm. We always talk about letting the pitcher make the mistake and just putting a good swing on it. So, just write that down. Then, when you’re in that situation again, you try to get back to that mindset.” Wetherholt’s consummate approach produced the clutch moment the Cardinals sought. St. Louis spent much of the afternoon with the lead, but when Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman punished a George Soriano offering 394 feet into Big Mac Land to tie it in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals suddenly needed someone to deliver another key swing. José Fermín’s sacrifice bunt put the go-ahead baserunners where they needed to be. Wetherholt delivered a decisive blow, his two-run double over the head of center fielder Cole Carrigg putting the Cardinals back firmly in the driver’s seat. Reaching base for his fourth time following a pair of walks and a single in the seventh, Wetherholt kept his cool in a run-producing spot -- one that, as he acknowledged, isn’t necessarily typical for his position in the batting order.