CLEVELAND — The postgame press conference with the Cardinals manager was set to zoom in a different direction, right to discussing Adam Wainwright and the curveball he unleashed on Cleveland for the first time, but as that question started Mike Shildt had an answer he wanted to finish.
“There’s a toughness to it,” he interjected. “A toughness to the two-strike at-bat.”
When the Cardinals met in the midst of their season to address in raw, pointed meetings the flagging offense and an approach that had gone sideways, an area of emphasis — really, concern — was how they hit with two strikes.