Let’s hear it for the St. Louis Cardinals rookies who may have saved the season

All things considered, it was a spectacular comeback weekend for the St. Louis Cardinals.

If you told me the Cardinals would have one-third of their roster out of action and would have to rely on seven players who were making their major league debut in a three-game set with the Chicago White Sox, I never would have guessed that they would win two of three games. But they hit the ground running and made things interesting for the coming weeks when some of the regulars are going to be eligible to return while some of these hungry kids aren’t going to be ready to give up their shot at the big show.

How did they do?

Dylan Carlson, of course, was the guy everyone was waiting to see. After a shaky first game, in which he was clearly battling the butterflies, the kid certainly didn’t disappoint. Although he had only two hits in 10 at-bats, the kid just missed a home run and hit a ball right on the screws but right at the opposing left fielder. He easily could have collected four or even five hits with just a little bit of luck. The important thing is that he made some hard contact and proved to himself that he can hang with major league pitchers. Carlson started the series in left field. But he migrated to center for the last game of his opening series, playing completely capably and setting up a scenario where the team could improve upon weak-hitting fly chaser Harrison Bader in the batting order.

With less fanfare than Carlson, pitcher Jake Woodford made his debut Saturday by starting the second game of a double header. The kid impressed by keeping the ball on the ground for the most part, allowing only a single run over three innings of work. Woodford seemed very poised for a guy who was pressed into service pretty unexpectedly and he seems like another promising alternative for the rotation of the future... or as enticing trade bait to help this team get its hands on some middle of the order power in 2021 and beyond.

Also making his debut on Saturday was infielder Max Schrock, who was part of the Stephen Piscotty trade with the Oakland Athletics. Schrock seems to be a solid player who, until catastrophe struck, didn’t have a place to play. All the kid did was go 2-for-3 in his inaugural game, playing solid defense along the way. Schrock is a smallish guy who probably doesn’t profile as a starter on a team that isn’t stacked with power in other places. If St. Louis was to try to save some money for a big bat by letting Kolten Wong go as a free agent at the end of the season or else by picking up his option and trading him away, I think Tommy Edman is a much more likely candidate to be the starter at second base. But if the Cardinals made a blockbuster trade to add Nolan Arenado that saw Edman pack his bags for the Colorado Rockies, Schrock could be a capable complementary performer.

John Nogowski was the first Cardinals to make his MLB debut on Sunday. He started at first base with Paul Goldschmidt serving as designated hitter. Nogowski, 27, probably doesn’t have a lot of future with the Cardinals. So it was nice that he was able to collect his first big league hit in his first game. He hit an impressive .295 with 15 homers last season in Class AAA Memphis. But Goldschmidt has first base locked down for years and the Cardinals will soon bring back Rangel Ravelo from the group of players idled by COVID-19 to back up at the initial sack.

He may look like a disaster on paper with four home runs allowed in 2/3 of an inning and an 81.00 earned run average. But Roel Ramirez deserved a better fate than he got. His inning of work was blown up by a pair of weak ground balls, one that made it through the infield because of defensive shift and another that made it to the outfield because of a hit-and-run. He struck out a batter and got the two grounders which easily could have got him out of his frame unscathed. Instead, he made one bad pitch — and then totally came unraveled. He shouldn’t have been allowed to stay in the game to give up a third home run, much less a fourth. Ramirez is in prospect limbo. Two years ago he had a very nice minor league season but last year he was hit hard with more safeties allowed than innings pitched and an ERA over 4.00. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old hurler, he’s not going to get much of a chance to prove himself this season — or to get the bad taste of his MLB debut out of his mouth — when the small army of relief pitchers currently on the shelf returns to action.

Seth Elledge came in to mop up after the game got out of hand, often a difficult task. But he performed exceptionally well. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed no hits and no runs while striking out five. Elledge is almost certainly ticketed for Springfield when the COVID-19 infected relievers come back. But he opened a lot of eyes during his opportunity to throw against an impressive White Sox lineup.

Rob Kaminsky was once a top three Cardinals pitching prospect before he was traded to the Cleveland Indians organization. He pitched one clean inning and recorded a strikeout in his long-awaited big league debut. He’s a capable middle reliever, so I could see Kaminsky in the St. Louis bullpen next year if he sticks around.

I know he wasn’t making his big league debut. But the most exciting appearance besides that of Carlson -- and the one that could have the most staying power on the pitching side of the prospect list -- was the return of Alex Reyes who was the team’s top prospect for years thanks to a series of injuries that kept him from getting established in the majors. Reyes finally looked like the guy the Cardinals have been waiting for, smoking opposing hitters for three straight strikeouts in an inning of work. I have been reluctant to dream about Reyes’ impact on this team. But he’s still plenty young and, if he’s finally healthy, he could challenge Jack Flaherty as the club’s co-ace. I can’t wait to see him throw again to prove his first appearance was no fluke.

It was nice to take two of three from the White Sox. But things get serious Monday when the Cardinals prove whether they’re a true factor in the NL Central with a big series against the Chicago Cubs. At least the kids won’t have to deal with rowdy Wrigley Field fans as they get their feet beneath them at baseball’s highest level.

Scott Wuerz

Belleville News-Democrat

Scott Wuerz has written “Cheap Seats,” a St. Louis Cardinals fan blog for the Belleville News-Democrat, since 2007. He is a former BND reporter who covered breaking news and education.