“Of course,” he said Sunday after the Cardinals’ 5-2 win over Arizona at Busch Stadium, “when you’re hitting in the middle of the lineup . . . especially if you’re hitting in the middle of the lineup like I am, second, third or fourth. If the guys in front of you get on, (and) you have a chance to drive them in, or get on base for the guys behind you (you need to).
“You think about the diving play he made (Saturday) to save a run. The nuance of how he ran the bases (Saturday) on the ball down the left-field line from (Tyler) O’Neill in the first where he comes in, hits the corner (of the bag), knows the ball’s down the line and runs inside (the foul line) and forces (Nick) Ahmed to throw around him.