A grand slam only added to what has already been a statistically huge month for Stephen Piscotty helped the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-2 on Friday night.
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Having now hit safely in 16 of his last 19 games (.375, 27-72), the grand slam was Piscotty’s 23rd hit with runners in scoring position–which is tops in MLB. He is among the Top 10 in at least six other offensive categories which include hits, runs, and times on base.
But as one might expect, the statistical rankings aren’t something Stephen is paying particularly close attention to.
“I don’t check numbers but I do feel good up there,” said Piscotty recently. “I feel like I’ve had a few games and just trying to ride that hot streak as long as possible.”
Accustomed to batting throughout the lineup in his career, he hasn’t been affected by his recent move from the 2-hole to batting clean up. His approach and production have remained consistent.
“It’s a situation where you just feel like you’re a little bit more locked in–definitely confidence is at an all-time high,” Piscotty explained. “Throughout the at-bat, the big thing is when you get to 2-strikes, you still feel like you have a good chance. When you’re feeling like that, you can take a little bit bigger risks earlier in the at-bat, try to really drive the ball knowing that you’re confident enough to really put the ball in play hard with two strikes. That’s kind of where I’m at now.”
Although hard for him to compare, the outfielder admits to a different feel in this 2016 campaign versus when he was called up last July. The Cardinals at that time were continuing to add to their pile of victories as they went on to win 100-games and the National League Central title. This season, the team has been hovering around .500 and looking to gain the traction to climb back to the top of the division.
“It’s basically, how do you want to articulate your reason to win,” said Piscotty. “It’s the same–you want to win. And this club does a good job of realizing a win is a win, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing every game is important. Our ability to simplify that really helps us instead of getting caught up in all this other stuff.”
Still not on Twitter or social media, Piscotty doesn’t read much in the newspapers or online–which helps keep from getting caught up in distractions. Instead, he focuses on other activities like his guitar.
“I bring that on the planes and do that–it helps me unwind after games,” he shared, noting that he also had some museum trips planned for this road trip into D.C.
“It’s all acoustic,” Piscotty continued. “Something fun, enjoyable, and relaxing.”
No jam sessions have broken out yet, but Mike Matheny along with Adam Wainwright and others on the training staff also play guitar.
Besides some older country, Piscotty mentioned Zach Brown and Chris Stapleton among his current favorites.
No Kenny Loggins? Danger Zone?
“Top Gun’s my favorite movie–that’s the reason for that,” reminded Piscotty on his walk-up song. On that note, which character does he most resemble?
“I don’t know–probably Maverick but I’ll let other people decide that.”
There was no argument when it was presented that his calm was more like that of Val Kilmer’s Iceman, without the edge.
photo credit: Bill Greenblatt/UPI, Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
