Well, they certainly aren’t playing “Dirty Water” or “Tessie” tonight at Fenway Park.

It was a great night to be a Cardinals fan I must say. I know it’s only May, but after all the World Series pain the Red Sox have brought to St. Louis, this felt good. Paul Goldschmidt got things going with an RBI single in the top of the first. Boston punched back on a hit by Rafael Devers, which tied the game. But that was all the Sox could muster.

Paul DeJong, Andrew Knizner, and Nolan Arenado each provided home runs. And by the end of the night, the Cardinals were the ones celebrating in a place that has not been kind to them dating all the way back to 2004. Miles Mikolas was really good tonight, which I was encouraged to see. He went six innings and allowed just one run, and did so without striking out a single batter.

Here are some takeaways from tonight’s statement victory.

Carlson Exits The Game

We’ll start off with the downside from tonight’s game. But the good thing is we’re getting it out of the way. Dylan Carlson picked up a base-hit in the second inning, but twisted his ankle when attempting to get out of the batter’s box. Though he remained at first base, he was subsequently replaced by Alec Burleson. Oli Marmol revealed that Carlson had suffered a sprain when his cleat got caught in the dirt at home plate.

I’ve been impressed with the way Carlson has been swinging the bat, so losing him for any amount of time would suck. Fortunately, Burleson picked up a hit and did well.

Arenado Can Hit In This

Alright, let’s get to the good stuff, shall we? Nolan Arenado loves hitting in Boston. Like I said in Friday’s recap, I went to both games he homered in the last time the Cardinals were in Boston. Clearly, Arenado has picked up right where he left off.

During the game, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was mic’d up on ESPN. When Arenado reached first base, Casas proposed a postgame jersey swap. Arenado told him he would gladly give him the jersey because he couldn’t hit in it.

Fortunately, Arenado proved himself wrong, and to me it looks like he’s finally starting to heat up. If that is the case, then the Cardinals are a different team, especially from the offensive side, and I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more of this.

Paul DeGone

Speaking of guys heating up, how about Paul DeJong?

His second inning homer proved to be the difference in the game as the Cardinals leveled the Red Sox in the series finale. It certainly looks like he’s heating up.

I must admit that like many other Cardinals fans, I wasn’t expecting much out of DeJong this year, but there’s definitely a lot of merit to the claims that he adjusted his swing. He looks far more comfortable than he has in recent years, and almost looks like his 2017 self again.

That is certainly a good sign for the Cardinals as they look to inch back towards contention in the NL Central. They’ll open up a crucial three-game series tomorrow at home against the Brewers.