Burleson has first career three HR game

Burleson being a popular name on the trade market does not mean he’s being traded. The 27-year-old is hitting .284/.347/.458 in 111 games this season with 15 home runs, 71 RBI, and three steals. He is also under team control for two more years after this one, which makes it unlikely that the Cardinals would decide to move on from him unless they were to get a pretty large return. That being said, Burleson has also graded out as a poor defender at every position he’s played, including first base, so the Cardinals may have concerns about the long-term fit of a player who is basically a DH.

The Cardinals had eight of the game’s nine hardest-hit balls today, with Burleson chiming in with a 107.3-mph single, and did outhit the Blue Jays 11-9, but they still lost 5-1. The team just hasn’t been able to homer since Jordan Walker’s binge during the Derby. They have only six in 16 games since, with JJ Wetherholt hitting half of those.

Burleson’s double to right center in the second was hit 388 feet and would have been a homer in 16 ballparks, according to Statcast. Burleson has collected three hits in five of his last eight games, though, oddly, he has zero hits in the other three. He’s eighth in the majors with 116 hits, tied for fourth with 26 doubles and tied for sixth with 71 RBI.

Burleson was the only batter to find much success against the Angels on Tuesday, collecting three hits in the contest. He knocked base hits in the first, fourth, and sixth innings with no runs scored and zero RBI. The 27-year-old slugger has had a solid season for the Cardinals, hitting .282/.343/.466 with 15 homers, 53 runs scored, and 69 RBI across 420 plate appearances.

Burleson’s elite first half as a run-producer wages on. With three more RBI here, he’s now tied with Nick Kurtz for fifth-most in the entire league. His first in this game came on a 107 mph double off Brewers’ starter Kyle Harrison in the first inning and the final two came on an absolutely demolished 109 mph, 443 foot home run that hit off the facing of the third deck in Busch Stadium. He’s on pace to obliterate his career-highs of 21 home runs and 78 RBI as we approach the All-Star break.

Burleson reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on a double by Lars Nootbaar during the Cardinals’ seven-run uprising in the seventh inning. He then put the cherry on top of the comeback victory with a 395-foot (107.4-mph EV) solo blast off of James Karinchak to lead off the ninth inning. With his 1-for-5 night, the 27-year-old is now slashing .274/.341/.474 with 14 long balls and 58 RBI on the season.

Burleson usually gets to play against southpaws, but the Cardinals will give him a day off against Eduardo Rodriguez and the Arizona staff. Blaze Jordan will get the start at first base, and Jose Fermin will handle the hot corner while Burleson rests.

Burleson essentially put the game away with a two-run blast in the fifth inning off Freddy Peralta to extend the lead to 6-0. He also added an RBI double to give him three on the day and 46 on the season. Burleson isn’t a fantasy superstar, but he’s having an outstanding season that has paired those aforementioned RBI with nine homers and a .293/.360/.472 slash. You can do a heck of a lot worse than that.

A one man wrecking crew against Rangers’ starter MacKenzie Gore, Burleson had already amassed three runs batted in by the third inning. His first run scoring hit was an early back-breaker, coming on an 0-2 pitch with two outs. His next was better struck though, a 105 mph double into the corner. Quietly one of the best run producers in the league, his 42 RBI are seventh-most in the National League as a remarkably steady hitter.

Burleson was hitting fifth against a lefty in Jordan Wicks tonight. The Cardinals first tried that on Friday after batting Burleson exclusively third and fourth previously. Burleson’s RBI in the first came on a little infield flare that dropped over the pitcher’s head but still turned into a groundout. His RBI single in the third was also pretty light; he dropped a ball down the line in shallow left that Ian Happ might have made a diving attempt on but decided against it at the last second. So, he got his runs batted in on balls hit 38 mph and 77 mph, respectively. He’s driven in 38 runs on the season, which is tied for 15th in MLB.