Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Will see time in leadoff spot
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Donovan will spent time in the leadoff spot for the Cardinals this season, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol on Wednesday wouldn't commit to any lineup spots beyond Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras as his 3-4-5 hitters, but it's expected that Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Edman will get looks at the top of the order. It could be Donovan and Nootbaar in the top two spots against right-handers, although Tyler O'Neill also seems to be in the mix for the No. 2 spot. Donovan's on-base skills make him a natural fit at leadoff, and he's shown more pop this spring after re-tooling his stance.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Excellent in spring
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Donovan is hitting .325 (13-for-40) with a team-leading four home runs over 14 Grapefruit League games.
Donovan's value to the Cardinals comes as a utility man, but his spring play should serve to get him an everyday role in the lineup to begin the season. He's the projected starter at second base, especially with Tommy Edman needed at shortstop to cover for the injured Paul DeJong (back). Donovan hit well as a rookie last year, slashing .281/.394/.379 with five home runs, 45 RBI, 64 runs scored and two stolen bases over 126 contests. With his versatility, he should remain in the mix for a starting role even if his hitting drops a bit.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Homers again Monday
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Donovan clubbed a two-run homer and added an RBI single Monday versus the Mets in Grapefruit League action.
It's the second home run in three spring training games for Donovan, who hit just five long balls in 126 contests for the Cardinals in his rookie season. Donovan is standing more upright at the plate this spring and, as manager Oli Marmol noted on Monday's ESPN broadcast, is making more of an effort to pull the ball in the air. He's also switched to a puck-style bat knob. It's worth tracking to see whether Donovan's newfound pop can be sustained while not taking away from his excellent plate skills.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting for regular-season finale
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Donovan isn't starting Wednesday against Pittsburgh, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Donovan has recorded hits in each of the last eight games, hitting .310 with two doubles, seven runs, an RBI, five walks and three strikeouts over that stretch. However, Paul DeJong will take over at the keystone and bat ninth during Wednesday's regular-season finale.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Out of lineup
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Donovan will hit the bench Saturday against the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Donovan started against the left-handed Andrew Heaney on Friday but will sit against a different caliber of southpaw in Clayton Kershaw on Saturday. Tommy Edman will slide to second base in his absence, while Paul DeJong starts at shortstop.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Clubs first career grand slam
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Donovan went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Padres.
Donovan went 0-for-9 over his previous three games before lifting a seventh-inning grand slam that gave the Cardinals their margin of victory. He's hit just five home runs this year, but three of them have come in his last 15 contests, a span in which he's added seven RBI and 12 runs scored. The rookie utility man is slashing .279/.390/.377 with 44 RBI, 56 runs scored and two stolen bases through 115 games overall.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Steps out of lineup
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Donovan is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in San Diego, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Donovan is 5-for-37 over his past 11 games and will take a seat for Wednesday's contest. Tommy Edman will shift to second base while Paul DeJong starts at shortstop.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Clubs homer in win
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Donovan went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Pirates.
Donovan got the Cardinals on the board in the fifth inning with his solo shot. He's gone 7-for-20 (.350) with two homers and a double in his last five games, but he had endured a 46-game homer drought prior to that stretch. The utility man is up to four long balls with 39 RBI, 49 runs scored, two stolen bases and a .291/.392/.388 slash line through 386 plate appearances. He's hit leadoff in the last three games versus right-handed pitchers, and it appears he's displaced Lars Nootbaar from that role.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: On base five times Thursday
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Donovan went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-6 loss to the Nationals.
Donovan did his job as the leadoff man Thursday, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. The effort increased his OBP to .400 on the season, good for fourth in the majors among batters with at least 300 plate appearances. His two runs now bring his total to nine in his last 10 games, as he has thrived hitting in front of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado recently.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Ends home run drought
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Donovan went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Washington.
The rookie got St. Louis on the board with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, his third of the season. The solo shot ends a 143 at-bat stretch without hitting a home run, during which he had only three total extra-base hits. Donovan is still getting on base at a healthy .391 clip on the season, but he may lose playing time here and there if he cannot continue hitting the ball with more authority.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Retreats to bench
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Donovan is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The lefty-hitting Donovan will sit for the third time in five games, this time against a right-handed pitcher (Anibal Sanchez) after his previous two absences came when the opposition brought southpaws to the mound. Donovan still appears to have the edge on a regular spot in the lineup at second base or designated hitter versus right-handed pitching, but he'll give way to the hot-hitting Albert Pujols on Monday.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Heads to bench
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Donovan will sit Saturday against the Cubs, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The Cardinals elected to sit several lefties against southpaw Drew Smyly. Donovan has now been on the bench against 10 of the last 11 lefties the Cardinals have faced.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Heads to bench
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Donovan is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Donovan went 3-for-12 with a walk and two RBI while starting each of the past three games at different positions, but he'll put a six-game hitting streak on hold while he retreats to the bench for the series finale. Though he no longer has a hold on a full-time role at any position, Donovan's ability to play all over the infield and outfield should allow to continue to see semi-regular work, especially while he's wielding a hot bat.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Three base hits in win
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Donovan went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Colorado.
Donovan got the job done Wednesday, notching three hits while batting in the No. 2 hole in front of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. This was just his second multi-hit game since the beginning of August, but that can be partially explained by manager Oliver Marmol regularly rotating batters in and out of the lineup recently. Donovan owns a robust .399 OBP over 86 games on the season, but it is unlikely that he will maintain everyday playing time while the Cardinals are flooded with options in the field.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Losing time to Nootbaar, DeJong
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Donovan is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs.
The versatile rookie's ability to play the corner outfield and all four infield spots gives him multiple pathways to playing time, but Donovan's ongoing slump at the plate seems to have cost him an everyday role. After producing an .584 OPS in his last 12 games dating back to July 8, the lefty-hitting Donovan will take a seat for the third time in four contests, even with a right-hander in Keegan Thompson on the hill for Chicago. Paul DeJong and Lars Nootbaar seem to be the main beneficiaries of manager Oliver Marmol choosing to limit Donovan's role of late.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Out of Friday's lineup
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Donovan is not in the lineup for Friday's game at Washington, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Donovan started the past eight games across five different positions, and he'll take a seat after posting a .261/.438/.261 slash line during that stretch. Albert Pujols will serve as the designated hitter while Lars Nootbaar starts in right field.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Collects three RBI
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Donovan went 2-for-3 with three RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over the Reds.
Donovan had a sacrifice fly in the first inning and a two-run single in the seventh. This was his second game back in the starting lineup after overcoming an illness, and it was also his first multi-hit effort in July. He's slashing .286/.391/.390 with two home runs, 29 RBI, 28 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 doubles and a triple in 68 contests, though his hitting has taken a slight downturn recently. The 25-year-old utility man should share second base with Nolan Gorman, though Donovan can also fill in all around the diamond as necessary.
Donovan (illness) is starting at second base and batting eighth Thursday versus the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Donovan has been held out since Saturday due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but he'll return to the starting nine for Thursday's series finale. The 25-year-old has struggled through nine games in July, going 5-for-32 with three walks.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Still not starting
Rotowire
Donovan (illness) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Though Donovan rejoined the Cardinals earlier this week, he'll sit out his fifth straight contest while he works to regain conditioning following a bout with a non-COVID-19-related illness. The rookie's continued absence will open up spots in the corner outfield for Corey Dickerson and Lars Nootbaar on Wednesday.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Not yet back in action
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Donovan (illness) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Donovan looks to be making progress in his recovery from a non-COVID-19-related illness after he rejoined the team Monday, but he'll be out of the starting nine for the fourth game in a row while he works to regain conditioning. The Cardinals will deploy Corey Dickerson and Juan Yepez as their corner outfielders while Donovan is on the bench.
