4 reasons why the St. Louis Cardinals are beginning to heat up

These four factors have contributed to the Cardinals winning ballgames again

Following an eight-game losing streak and looking like a team that may be beyond saving, the St. Louis Cardinals have now won five of their last six games, securing series wins over the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox while going for a sweep in Boston this evening.

While the Cardinals were due to start winning at least some games, the way they have played over their last six games looks like a team that has started to find themselves again. Their strengths are looking like legit strengthens, and when they've been punched in the mouth, they punch back. There is real excitement and optimism in that clubhouse and for good reason.

The rest of the National League Central has been scuffling over the month of May, as the Cardinals now boast the second-best record in the division over the last 10 games. St. Louis sits 7.5 games back of Milwaukee for the division lead, with 122 games remaining in the season.

This team still has some real holes, and those need fixes in order for them to be a true contender later this season. But for now, there are multiple encouraging signs that should lead fans to believe that their recent winning ways are a sign of things to come. The club will have to spend the next few months eating away at the hole they dug themselves, but they now look like a team who could be capable of doing that.

Here are four reasons the Cardinals are beginning to heat up once again.

Nolan Gorman looks like an emerging superstar

Watch out Major League Baseball, because the Cardinals may have three of the deadliest hitters in baseball in the middle of their order, at least when right-handers are on the mound.

Nolan Gorman has started off this season as one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball, and when his bat is on, he transforms the Cardinals' lineup. Gorman experienced a bit of a dry spell recently, leading many to believe he was getting back to his ways as just a streaky hitter, but over the last week, he has quieted those concerns.

In his last 7 games, Gorman is slashing .267/.389/.733 with 2 HR and 4 RBI for the club. In his last two games, Gorman has come off the bench in the 9th inning against Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen and delivered a clutch home run on Friday and a double on Saturday that led to the Cardinal comebacks. His ability to come off the bench in two huge spots and deliver further proves the huge step in development he has taken.

Gorman is now slashing .268/357/.563 with 9 HR and 27 RBI on the season. Gorman looks confident and on the attack at the plate, not falling into the same patterns that led him to be a strikeout machine in 2022, but rather, being patient at the plate and doing damage when pitchers come into the zone.

Lars Nootbaar is living up to the offseason hype

After an offseason where Lars Nootbaar began to get a ton of hype from both national and local media, Nootbaar's expectations skyrocketed even further after he became an international superstar while playing for Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic.

It started to feel like the expectations were so high that no matter what Nootbaar did, he was not going to be able to justify them. In reality, he has been everything fans could have hoped for and more.

In 25 games this season, Nootbaar is slashing .302/.444/.442 with 3 HR and 13 RBI, good for a 151 wRC+ on the season. The crazy thing is, if you look at his Baseball Savant page, he's not hitting the ball nearly as hard as he was last year, showing that he could have even more production waiting to be unleashed this season.

Nootbaar is the perfect table setter for a lineup full of powerful hitters. With guys like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, and Willson Contreras hitting behind him, his on-base skills should turn into runs more often than not. Nootbaar ranks in the 99th percentile in walk percentage and 100th percentile in chase rate, but when the ball is in the zone, he knows how to do damage with it.

The Cardinals have had a lot of frustration with their outfield this year, but Nootbaar has been the clear bright spot and is helping carry the Cardinals to wins now.

Willson Contreras is raking, and returning to his catching duties

Ever since Willson Contreras was unfairly benched by the Cardinals last week, he has handled himself like a true professional and provided immense value as the everyday DH at the plate.

Now Contreras is getting an opportunity to return to catching this coming Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving the Cardinals an opportunity to put their best lineup out there any given night.

On the season, Contreras is batting .265/.344/.412 with 3 HR and 18 RBI. He probably has room to produce even more than he has to this point this season, but what is most encouraging is how he continues to show up in big moments. That kind of production from the catcher position is a huge asset for the club, and also allows them to maximize the DH spot as well.

Sliding Contreras back behind the plate allows the Cardinals to get more at-bats for guys like Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson, and Brendan Donovan who have had to sit more often as of late because of the DH spot being filled by Contreras. This lineup is the club's clear strength, the way they have to win ballgames, so getting their best lineup out there each day is huge.