If Mike Shildt is making a list of fundamentals the club needs to address, and checking it twice, then the Cardinals’ new quality control coach should add an asterisk by the errant pickoff in Tuesday’s ninth inning.
That was the pregame focus just hours before it happened.
In what’s become a continuing effort to correct chronic defensive issues and other loose widgets in their game, the Cardinals have scheduled spring training-like drills for the regular season. On Tuesday, before a loss littered with errors, outfielders took the field to work on cutoff throws, and then pitchers and first baseman Matt Carpenter went through a series of pickoff drills.