‘He’s definitely the good cop, and I’m definitely the bad one’: How two MVP candidates are fueling each other
Batman has Robin. Tom has Jerry. McCartney had Lennon — and Goldy has Arenado.
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado might have arrived in St. Louis two seasons apart, but they quickly became linked as the dynamic duo manning the two corners of the Cardinals infield. Both have won multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, and this season they could pull off a rare feat: becoming the first teammates to finish 1-2 in MVP voting since Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent 22 years ago.
“When you’re in the moment, you try not to sit back too much but there’s times I’m at home and realize this is pretty fun, what we’re doing,” Arenado said recently. “Our 3-4 hole is good and we’re playing good defense.”
The pair has been better than good this season. They rank first and second in the National League in slugging and have combined for 65 home runs and 224 runs driven in, which is nearly a third of St. Louis’ total runs scored this season. Goldschmidt leads the NL in OPS+ and total bases; Arenado has struck out just 71 times, by far the least of anyone in baseball with 30 or more home runs.
“It’s nice to know, when I’ve struggled,” Goldschmidt said, “he’s coming up next and will get the job done, or vice versa.”
Goldschmidt, who arrived in St. Louis before the 2019 season, first made a name for himself with the Arizona Diamondbacks; Arenado, who became a star with the Colorado Rockies, came over in the 2020 offseason.
Both landed in St. Louis after their previous teams had gone through turnover and turmoil. Though they might share the spotlight more than they had before, they now have one another to depend on — and they each have a deep understanding for what the other is going through.
“He made the transition here really easy,” Arenado said of Goldschmidt. “The thing he did most for me was when I was struggling bad last year … I couldn’t repeat [my swing]. And I told him it was really frustrating because I was getting pitches to do damage on. … He told me he went through what I was going through just the year before. He told me how to fix it.”
Goldschmidt added: “We talk hitting all the time. We talk about our swings, our approach, what the other teams are doing. He’s helped me a ton, even last year.”
While their games are similar, and that has enhanced their ability to get each other through tough stretches during a season, their personalities aren’t exactly alike.
“He’s definitely the good cop and I’m definitely the bad one,” Arenado said with a laugh. “I always make the joke that he’s the angel on the shoulder. I’m more of the devil on the other side because I get more angry than him. He’s more calm and patient.
“I’m a little crazier in a sense. That’s why we click pretty well.”
While giving a noncommittal smile at the assessment of their personalities, in true “good cop” fashion, Goldschmidt turned the conversation back to their play on the field, where he’s more concerned with keeping Arenado’s Gold Glove streak intact and making sure he doesn’t “mess it up” when his third baseman makes a great play. Arenado has won the award every year he’s been in the league — nine times and counting.
Soon after singing his teammate’s praises, in a mid-September game against the Cincinnati Reds, Goldschmidt scooped a low throw from Arenado to complete a tough play. It was followed with a nod of appreciation across the diamond from the All-Star third baseman to his All-Star first baseman.
“He saved me from a big error,” Arenado said with a laugh.
As the No. 3 hitter in St. Louis’ lineup, Goldschmidt’s at-bats also provide an opportunity for Arenado to see what’s coming at the plate when he steps in as the Cardinals’ cleanup hitter.
“Watching pitchers pitch him, sometimes I get an idea what’s going to happen to me,” Arenado said. “We’re both right-handed so we get attacked a lot alike. We’re not the same player, obviously, but we have similar traits.”
Before they became close as teammates in St. Louis, Arenado and Goldschmidt actually first got to know each other while playing for Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, after they had admired each other from afar as fellow NL West stars.
“I remember getting his number and texting him about how he went about things,” Arenado recalled of their days in the same division. “I respected how he handled himself. I wanted to find out what the secret was in a sense.
“We talk the same language.”
And the similarities don’t stop there. Both players moved to teams while in their prime and now are on massive contracts — Goldschmidt for $130 million, Arenado for $275 million. In fact, Arenado’s deal has an opt-out after this season, and though he hasn’t publicly declared he’s staying in St. Louis, most wouldn’t bet against it.
“I feel like I fit in here and feel welcome here,” Arenado said.
For now, the focus won’t be on Arenado’s looming contract status, or the battle for MVP, which would be the first for either player — not with games left on the schedule and a postseason yet to take place. Arenado and Goldschmidt are both looking toward playing deep into October, as the Cardinals clinched the NL Central with a win over the Brewers on Tuesday night. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Goldschmidt and Arenado are two names baseball fans will be hearing a lot when it comes to this award season.
“It’s been amazing,” Arenado said. “We’re winning ball games but it feels good that we’re both playing well. Last year, when he was playing well, I’d play bad. Or if he was playing bad, I’d play well. We never clicked. It was like ‘one day we’ll get a hit together.’
“This year, to do it together, it’s been so much fun.”
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.
The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.
He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we’ve enjoyed being able to show that we’re right there with them, and yeah, it’s always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see.”
Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.
Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs’ offense took off. They’re averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.
Crow-Armstrong’s season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.
“He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he’s had,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday’s game.
Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts’ son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.
“I got a couple different connections to Doc,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s so great.”
That’s the same word Crow-Armstrong’s teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he’s the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.
Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.
“Defensively, I got to say he’s probably the best,” Wednesday’s starter, Matthew Boyd, said. “And what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”
Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs’ most recent road trip. He said he got “on-time” with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.
“If it comes out in a win, it’s very satisfactory,” he said. “It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can.”
So does his manager, who called Wednesday a “wonderful game” for Crow-Armstrong.
“He made his presence felt in a big way for sure,” Craig Counsell said.
Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it’s like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.
“I’ve tried to tune that out,” he said with a laugh. “I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they’ve chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it’s the coolest thing.”
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