The St. Louis Cardinals offense is showing signs of life for the first time this season, with a quartet of 14-hit games.
In the midst of a push to reach .500 for the time this season, the 6-7 St. Loius Cardinals improved to 4-3 during their current 10-game West Coast road trip after knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 9-5 score on Thursday night.
For the fourth straight night, the Cardinals had at least 14 hits and scored at least eight runs. Researcher Tom Orf pulled the following tables, which indicate how rarely this type of proficient hit attack has occurred in recent years and over the long haul.
This is only the second time since 1933 that the Cardinals have strung together four games with 14+ hits. The other was in 1979. Amazingly, nine of the top such streaks occurred in the 1920s and early 1930s.
St. Louis Cardinals, 14+ hits in consecutive games (1920-present)
| G | Tm | Start | End | W | L | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SO | BB | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Opponent |
| 6 | STL | 8/31/1930 | 9/7/1930 | 6 | 0 | 234 | 57 | 100 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 54 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .427 | .457 | .603 | 1.060 | CHC,PIT,CIN |
| 6 | STL | 9/9/1922 | 9/15/1922 | 4 | 2 | 233 | 62 | 92 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 56 | 21 | 20 | 8 | 8 | .395 | .447 | .588 | 1.035 | CIN,PHI |
| 5 | STL | 7/11/1923 | 7/16/1923 | 4 | 1 | 209 | 54 | 88 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 1 | .421 | .462 | .536 | .998 | BSN,PHI |
| 5 | STL | 6/27/1922 | 7/1/1922 | 4 | 1 | 207 | 40 | 75 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 2 | .362 | .410 | .517 | .927 | CIN,PIT |
| 4 | STL | 4/11/2011 | 4/14/2011+ | 3 | 1 | 168 | 40 | 63 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .411 | .637 | 1.048 | ARI,LAD |
| 4 | STL | 5/30/1979 | 6/2/1979 | 4 | 0 | 157 | 36 | 65 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 1 | .414 | .453 | .675 | 1.129 | NYM,LAD |
| 4 | STL | 6/19/1933 | 6/22/1933 | 2 | 2 | 164 | 30 | 61 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .372 | .408 | .555 | .963 | BRO,PHI |
| 4 | STL | 8/21/1930 | 8/24/1930 | 4 | 0 | 144 | 44 | 62 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 0 | .431 | .491 | .604 | 1.095 | PHI |
| 4 | STL | 6/22/1930 | 6/24/1930 | 3 | 1 | 159 | 41 | 67 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 0 | .421 | .465 | .679 | 1.144 | PHI,BSN |
| 4 | STL | 7/28/1928 | 7/31/1928 | 3 | 1 | 197 | 44 | 75 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 43 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 0 | .381 | .455 | .579 | 1.034 | PHI |
| 4 | STL | 5/8/1923 | 5/11/1923 | 3 | 1 | 167 | 41 | 70 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 3 | .419 | .455 | .677 | 1.132 | PHI |
The Cardinals are the 23rd team to do this across all of MLB since 1960. The Minnesota Twins had a five-game stretch last season, but no clubs had even four in 2009.
The record over the last 50 years is seven such games, logged by the Atlanta Braves in late July of 1993. Joe Torre’s Cardinals, on their way to a third-place finish, were among their victims.
MLB, 14+ hits in consecutive games (1960-present)
| G | Tm | Start | End | W | L | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SO | BB | SB | CS | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Opponent |
| 7 | ATL | 7/21/1993 | 7/27/1993 | 6 | 1 | 284 | 73 | 113 | 17 | 2 | 19 | 68 | 36 | 26 | 4 | 1 | .398 | .447 | .673 | 1.120 | STL,PIT,COL |
| 5 | MIN | 7/24/2010 | 7/28/2010 | 5 | 0 | 209 | 53 | 86 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 52 | 32 | 22 | 3 | 3 | .411 | .466 | .670 | 1.136 | BAL,KCR |
| 5 | ATL | 7/25/2003 | 7/29/2003 | 3 | 2 | 212 | 49 | 84 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 46 | 21 | 14 | 4 | 1 | .396 | .444 | .656 | 1.100 | MON,HOU |
| 5 | OAK | 8/22/2002 | 8/26/2002 | 5 | 0 | 197 | 46 | 70 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 46 | 20 | 197 | 2 | 1 | .355 | .416 | .589 | 1.004 | CLE,DET,KCR |
| 5 | LAD | 8/9/1970 | 8/14/1970 | 5 | 0 | 203 | 49 | 84 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 24 | 20 | 7 | 4 | .414 | .464 | .576 | 1.041 | CIN,PIT,CHC |
| 4 | STL | 4/11/2011 | 4/14/2011+ | 3 | 1 | 168 | 40 | 63 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .411 | .637 | 1.048 | ARI,LAD |
| 4 | NYM | 7/5/2008 | 7/8/2008 | 4 | 0 | 165 | 30 | 59 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 12 | 7 | 1 | .358 | .404 | .509 | .914 | PHI,SFG |
| 4 | FLA | 9/7/2005 | 9/10/2005 | 3 | 1 | 163 | 32 | 60 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 24 | 16 | 10 | 0 | .368 | .435 | .485 | .919 | WSN,PHI |
| 4 | SEA | 8/3/2002 | 8/7/2002 | 2 | 2 | 162 | 37 | 60 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 36 | 29 | 17 | 5 | 1 | .370 | .429 | .593 | 1.022 | CLE,TOR |
| 4 | DET | 8/14/2000 | 8/18/2000 | 4 | 0 | 169 | 46 | 68 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 45 | 22 | 15 | 2 | 0 | .402 | .452 | .657 | 1.108 | SEA,OAK |
| 4 | SFG | 6/22/2000 | 6/25/2000 | 3 | 1 | 164 | 37 | 65 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 37 | 24 | 24 | 2 | 1 | .396 | .471 | .652 | 1.123 | STL,HOU |
| 4 | ARI | 5/30/1999 | 6/2/1999 | 3 | 1 | 169 | 41 | 65 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 30 | 14 | 4 | 0 | .385 | .435 | .657 | 1.092 | NYM,MON |
| 4 | COL | 9/6/1998 | 9/9/1998 | 4 | 0 | 156 | 47 | 68 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 42 | 20 | 23 | 2 | 1 | .436 | .508 | .641 | 1.149 | SDP,FLA |
| 4 | NYM | 5/24/1998 | 5/29/1998 | 4 | 0 | 157 | 37 | 61 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 18 | 0 | 1 | .389 | .449 | .580 | 1.029 | MIL,FLA,PHI |
| 4 | COL | 7/23/1996 | 7/25/1996 | 3 | 1 | 160 | 36 | 67 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 34 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 3 | .419 | .486 | .656 | 1.143 | NYM,CHC |
| 4 | COL | 6/27/1996 | 6/30/1996 | 3 | 1 | 166 | 52 | 69 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 50 | 31 | 22 | 10 | 0 | .416 | .481 | .699 | 1.180 | LAD |
| 4 | BOS | 9/27/1995 | 9/30/1995 | 3 | 1 | 160 | 36 | 62 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 1 | .388 | .436 | .644 | 1.080 | DET,MIL |
| 4 | SDP | 6/27/1994 | 6/29/1994 | 2 | 2 | 165 | 37 | 62 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 32 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 1 | .376 | .450 | .618 | 1.068 | COL |
| 4 | NYM | 6/12/1990 | 6/15/1990 | 4 | 0 | 168 | 50 | 71 | 23 | 1 | 7 | 49 | 19 | 24 | 1 | 1 | .423 | .495 | .696 | 1.191 | CHC,PIT |
| 4 | STL | 5/30/1979 | 6/2/1979 | 4 | 0 | 157 | 36 | 65 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 1 | .414 | .453 | .675 | 1.129 | NYM,LAD |
| 4 | PIT | 5/3/1967 | 5/6/1967 | 4 | 0 | 168 | 28 | 58 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 27 | 18 | 1 | 0 | .345 | .419 | .405 | .824 | LAD,SFG |
| 4 | PIT | 5/22/1965 | 5/25/1965 | 4 | 0 | 159 | 32 | 57 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 13 | 18 | 1 | 4 | .358 | .427 | .484 | .911 | MLN,CHC |
| 4 | CLE | 6/8/1962 | 6/10/1962 | 3 | 1 | 189 | 41 | 67 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 39 | 39 | 17 | 3 | 0 | .354 | .407 | .593 | .999 | BOS |
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