Ivan

Herrera

Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast. The Cardinals scored multiple runs in every inning from the second to the sixth and Herrera was in the middle of most of those rallies. This was the second time this season he’s reached base four times in a single game and fourth time he’s scored three runs. It’s been a bit of a cold month power-wise for him with just three homers and a .349 slugging percentage over his past 30 days, but he remains one of the most productive catchers in the league.

Herrera’s three-run shot was one of four the Cardinals hit on the afternoon, a fifth-inning blast that gave them a 12-7 lead at the time. He has made 28 starts behind the plate this season but has been in the lineup and hit second in every game the team has played. He’s a high-end fantasy catcher from here on out.

He had a two-run homer off Connor Prielipp as the second batter of the game, and he broke a 4-4 tie with the first of back-to-back homers with Jordan Walker in the seventh. It’s Herrera’s second career multihomer game, though he hit three the other time on Apr. 2, 2025. He has nine homers on the year, and he’s currently seventh in the majors with a .400 OBP.

Herrera had gone just 4-for-25 in the month of June prior to this game, so perhaps this is the game that gets the 26-year-old going again. He singled twice and doubled; the latter being the 13th of the season. Herrera has put together a competent season despite the early struggles to begin the month with a .264 average and .803 OPS.

Herrera lost a seven-game hitting streak last night, but he made up for it today with one of his better games from the DH spot this year. He’s hitting .227 with 29 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances as a DH, compared to .328 with nine strikeouts in 79 plate appearances as a catcher. It’s probably something of a fluke, but it’s quite possible catching helps him stay in the flow of the game better. Still, even if that’s the case, Pedro Pages’ superiority on defense possibly outweighs the potential offensive gains.

Herrera’s fifth homer and first since Apr. 25 was a 410-foot blast off Mason Montgomery. It was his first career walkoff homer. There should be more power in the way, and in spite of the home run drought, he’s still at a solid .263/.391/.417 for the year.

All four hits were singles and only one was a hard-hit ball, but his roll continues. Herrera is batting .320 with three homers and seven doubles in his last 20 games.

Herrera turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 cushion with a three-run double off Chad Patrick. The 25-year-old has been able to drive in 17 runs over 35 games while posting a very solid .840 OPS.

It was Herrera’s third home run and 12th RBI of the season. The batting average hasn’t been there with a .230/.387/.379 slash line so far this season, but Herrera is hitting the ball as hard as he ever has and making more contact than ever with a nearly 95 percent zone contact rate. The production should come soon.

Herrera has now homered twice in his last three games while hitting safely in four of his last five. Herrera singled in the fourth inning to drive home Pedro Pagés to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead, and then smacked a two-run blast in the eighth to give the Cards a healthy 9-3 lead. Friday marks Herrera’s first multi-hit game of the season. While he’s starting to show a little more consistency at the plate, we need to see a few more games like Friday’s before assuming he’s out of this early slump.