What’s the recipe for Luken Baker to cook up power? Starts with more at-bats: Cardinals Extra

SAN DIEGO — Whatever the Cardinals have seen from Luken Baker in his limited swings through the majors and the starting lineup is tempered, even qualified, by the reality this playing time has been limited, sporadic at best, so why would his results be any different?

Baker, the hulking rookie with 33 homers at Class AAA this season, started all three games of the weekend series at Petco Park, and he provided the Cardinals’ only runs in an otherwise ugly loss Sunday. Baker’s two-run homer dented Michael Wacha’s pitching line and gave the first baseman his second big-league homer and a hit in every game against San Diego. More playing time is to follow.

“That’s what you’re going to judge now that you’re going every day — what does it look like?” manager Oliver Marmol said. “I’d like to run Baker out there a decent amount just to get him in that rhythm.”

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Baker, 26, started three consecutive games for the first time in his big-league career. Before, as he bounced between levels, he’s landed spot starts at designated hitter or first base when a regular got a day off. In 10 of his first 24 games, he entered as a midgame or late-game replacement, and nine of those games saw him get only one plate appearance. There just wasn’t that much playing time for a rookie who played the same position as reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt or could DH, where he was lower in the power rankings.

This past week, season-ending injuries to Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Alec Burleson have freed up playing time — and the plan is to see what Baker does with it.

“This first couple of times I was here, I think I was trying to do a little too much, prove a little bit too much,” Baker said. “That (playing time) makes things a lot better, a lot easier to adjust to what I’m seeing, what I’m feeling. I feel like before the past few days I’ve been playing, it got into a better routine of being prepared every day whether I’m in there or not.”

In his first at-bat Sunday, Baker saw two pitches from Wacha — the fastball to set up the plunging changeup and then the plunging changeup. Baker flew out to center on the pitch. In his second at-bat, he grounded out on a fastball. But as a starter, he got that third at-bat — and he looked for the pitch that he knew Wacha had him set up to see.

On a 1-1 pitch, Wacha dropped a changeup, and Baker pounced on the ball that floated too high and sent it even higher and over the right-center wall for a two-run homer. Marmol agreed with the description that Baker has rhythm power — it comes from a swing that’s calibrated through use. Playing time can help that rhythm. The power is up to him.

“I know I belong here,” Baker said. “I earned my way here. There is nothing more I need to do than be myself.”

So many promotions but no Gomez

In the closing weeks of the season, the Cardinals placed a handful of regulars on the injured list and ruled out the return of everyday players from Arenado to Nolan Gorman and Burleson to Tyler O’Neill. But despite all the turnover on the roster, one of the more prolific power hitters in the minors over the past two years did not get a promotion.

Moises Gomez, completing his second consecutive 30-homer season in the Cardinals organization, remained at Class AAA Memphis all this season, while other outfielders and right-handed batters on the 40-man roster such as Baker and Juan Yepez recently made the leap.

The team’s choices offer a window where Gomez fits (or does not) in their future.

At 25, Gomez hit 30 homers and drove in 79 runs in 130 games for the Triple-A Redbirds, and he had 178 strikeouts in 510 at-bats. A year ago, he set a Cardinals minor-league record with 39 home runs to go with his 94 RBIs total at the top two affiliates. He had a .995 OPS in 2022, and that has dipped to .750 this season. His on-base percentage dropped from .371 to .293, his slugging from .624 to .457.

Factors that played into Gomez remaining in the minors included the Cardinals’ stretch in which they prioritized defense in the outfield and their recent commitment to playing time for players who will be competing for roles or preparing to start in 2024.

“Is Gomez going to come and play over (Lars) Nootbaar, Walker? No,” Marmol explained when asked about the slugger’s absence from the majors. “Is he going to play over (Richie) Palacios against righties? Probably not. Is he going to DH over Baker? You have to find out about some of these guys out there every day, so I’m not sure the at-bats would have truly been there.”

The Cardinals’ promotion of Irving Lopez ahead of the series in San Diego and his addition to the 40-man roster was tied to preferring an infielder who can spell starters at multiple spots, including third, and that gave him the edge for the promotion. Outfielder Michael Siani also was promoted ahead of Gomez because of his speed and defensive play.

Romero returns home

Lefty reliever JoJo Romero, who the Cardinals hope will be part of their late-inning options in 2024, returned to his home near Los Angeles to address a family matter. That disrupts his rehab schedule that made it possible for him to return to the bullpen during the series in Milwaukee this week.

Romero was set to simulate two innings in a bullpen session over the weekend and see how his injured knee responded to the extended work and pause between innings.

The Cardinals have not ruled out Romero’s return for the final series of the regular season, though the opportunity to have him test the knee in the bullpen is limited.

Extra bases

Masyn Winn’s home run on a knuckleball Friday night made him the youngest Cardinal to homer in San Diego since a Cardinal who became a longtime fixture for the Padres.

At 21 years, 185 days, Winn came in slightly older with his homer than Garry Templeton, who was 21 years, 159 days old when he homered for the Cardinals against his future team. Albert Pujols’ first home run at San Diego came when he was 21 years, 230 days, and then he did it again at 21 years, 231 days old and again at 21 years, 232 days old

• Drew Rom’s start Sunday gave the Cardinals their 64th by a lefty this season, the first time they’ve had that many since 70 in 1995.

Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright (appearing with his son, Caleb) talks about his 200th career win after he and the Cardinals shut out Milwaukee, 1-0, on Monday. (Video by Derrick Goold)

Derrick Goold Photos: Padres pulverize Cardinals 12-2 in series finale

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jose Espada delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in San Diego.