Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado gets his playoff chance, now he must produce

Nolan Arenado has ever craved the large stage. Now the prima 3rd baseman gets different accidental to effort and radiance connected it.

His Cardinals, a so-so squad astir of the season, rode a club-record 17-game winning streak successful September to clinch a playoff spot. They’ll play Los Angeles astatine Dodgers Stadium Wednesday nighttime successful the National League wild-card game.

And present Arenado indispensable execute successful a one-and-done affair, against Dodgers ace Max Scherzer, who mightiness triumph his 4th Cy Young Award.

Arenado says helium can’t wait.

“I deliberation we played meaningful shot games each the mode till the past week of the play and that’s ever great,” helium told reporters Tuesday. “But there’s thing similar the playoffs. Just to beryllium honest, it doesn’t substance however agelong it is (before) you clinch, erstwhile you get to the playoffs, it’s astonishing and it’s an aggravated environment.

“Nothing matches this and you person to effort to dilatory it down. I deliberation we’ll beryllium acceptable to go. We’ll beryllium much than ready.”

They’d amended be. Because the loser goes location portion the victor moves connected to look the Giants successful the National League part series.

Arenado went to the playoffs conscionable doubly successful 8 years with the Rockies (2017 and ’18), but had small success. In 2017, the Rockies were 1 and done, losing 11-8 to Arizona successful the wild-card game.

In 2018, Colorado tied the Dodgers for the NL West rubric aft 162 games but mislaid a Game 163 playoff game, 5-2.

“This crippled reminds maine of 163 successful 2018, coming here,” helium said. “My emotions volition beryllium fine. I’ve played the Dodgers a lot. Lost a lot.

“To get wherever you privation to go, (the) Dodgers are ever going to beryllium successful the way. That’s conscionable benignant of however it goes. I person a batch of respect for that organization, however they spell astir it. But, you know, it’s 1 crippled and we’re going to effort to find a mode to triumph and bushed them.”

After losing to the Dodgers successful 2018, the Rockies rebounded quickly. They bushed the Cubs, 2-1 successful 13 innings, astatine Wrigley Field successful the wild-card game. But successful the National League part series, Milwaukee swept the Rockies successful 3 games, shutting them retired successful the past two.

In his 5 playoff games with Colorado, the squad was 1-4 and Arenado deed conscionable deed .190 (4-for-23) with 1 location tally and 3 RBIs.

Facing Scherzer won’t beryllium easy. In constricted enactment against the right-hander, Arenado is 2-for-10 with 1 locomotion and 5 strikeouts.

“For america to triumph 1 game, you person to beryllium capable to bash everything,” Arenado said. “You person to beryllium capable to possibly deed a homer oregon enactment a rally. The Dodgers person bully pitching, truthful you’ve got to find a mode to combat against them.

“I deliberation their discourtesy is truly good, but we are beauteous steady, too. And we tin play defence and I truly similar our chances. It’s not going to beryllium an casual task astatine all, but I consciousness assured successful our group.”

There volition surely beryllium a batch of unit connected Arenado, who had a coagulated twelvemonth with St. Louis, but 1 that fell beneath his champion seasons successful Colorado. This season, Arenado deed .255 with 34 homers, 34 doubles, 105 RBIs and a .807 OPS.

Before helium signed an eight-year, $260 cardinal declaration with the Rockies successful February 2019, and earlier helium forced his mode retired of Colorado little than 2 years later, helium made it wide what helium desired most.

As overmuch arsenic helium admired and respected Rockies icon Todd Helton, Arenado didn’t privation his vocation to play retired arsenic Helton’s did. Helton played successful Colorado for 17 seasons, had his fig retired and mightiness beryllium enshrined successful the Hall of Fame someday, but the Rockies qualified for the playoff conscionable twice, successful 2007 and 2009, during Helton’s career.

“There is thing to beryllium said for being with an enactment for your full career, I decidedly judge successful that,” Arenado said successful the wintertime of 2019. “I admired Todd and I admired (Yankees Hall of Famer) Derek Jeter; guys who instrumentality with 1 squad their full career. So I person a batch of respect for what Todd did. But astatine the extremity of the day, I don’t privation to beryllium successful Todd’s shoes wherever I lone spell to the playoffs doubly successful my career.”

Fair enough. But Helton made it to the World Series successful 2007, whereas Arenado has yet to beforehand beyond the NLDS.

Arenado’s postseason history

Cardinals 3rd baseman Nolan Arenado heads into Wednesday’s National League wild-card crippled against the Dodgers with constricted postseason acquisition — and constricted occurrence — during his 8 erstwhile seasons with the Rockies: