In a statistic almost too hard to believe, after Saturday’s game they have the same amount of home runs as doubles at 85-85, which never has come close to happening for a whole season in franchise history.
Closest was the 2000 team, a division champion which had 259 doubles and 235 homers, with Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds and others on hand.
The 85 two-base hit total easily is the lowest in the majors. The New York Mets, with 99 doubles before Saturday, were the only other team with fewer than 100.
What this means in the broader sense is that the Cardinals had fewer at-bats with men in scoring position at 502 than all but the slumping Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, who began the day a cool 27 ½ games out of first place.