The word that Matt Carpenter used Thursday to describe how one corroded part of the Cardinals’ game could leak into another and cause both to teeter was “spillover.” A misplay on defense becomes an attempt to take an extra base, an out on the bases becomes a reach in the field, and “you see guys making something happen instead of letting the game come to them,” he said.
When he made that something happen, another word resonated.
Carryover.
Carpenter launched a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning for an 8-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader, and the Cardinals rode the wave for a 6-4 win that evening and a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays at Busch Stadium.