Before muscling up Friday night to drop a powerful display of offense on the overwhelmed Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, the Cardinals were having a brutal month offensively.
Through Thursday the Cardinals were averaging only 2.88 runs a game in June, the lowest among the 15 National League teams. They ranked last in extra-base hits and 14th in slugging percentage.
And even though the Cardinals loosened up with a rollicking Home Run Derby in the first of three games in Philly, their blast won’t last. The power surge was temporary. Since the start of the 2013 season the Cardinals rank 28th among the 30 MLB teams in homers.