One of the phrases that has come up over and over again as the Cardinals’ starting rotation still searches for its sea legs this season is “controlling the count.”
Manager Mike Shildt referred to it again Wednesday morning in his office, and he elaborated about two focuses he, his coaches, and the pitchers have been discussing in recent weeks as the reins of at-bats have slipped from a pitcher’s fingertips. The first is, obviously, first-pitch strikes and the significant difference between an 0-1 count and a 1-0 count for what comes next. The other is the 1-1 count and the canyon that separates results after a 2-1 count or a 1-2 count.