Stephen Piscotty has been a rock in the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup

6:27 PM ET

ST. LOUIS — The Washington Nationals kept trying to get him to swing at sliders below the knees. The Philadelphia Phillies continuously buzzed fastballs in at his hands.

Teams have tried various ways to attack one of the St. Louis Cardinals’ best young players, but they have found that the worst thing they can do is to let runners reach base in front of him. That’s when Stephen Piscotty becomes his most dangerous, because he keeps things the most simple.

“There are times when you want to let it rip a little bit, but sometimes you tone it back,” Piscotty said.

Stephen Piscotty is hitting .468 with runners in scoring position and leads the Cardinals with 20 RBIs. Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports

Piscotty’s maturity and ability to adapt have been a foundation for the Cardinals’ better-than-expected offense to build around. They knew going into the season they would have to rely — maybe dangerously so — on the learning curve of two young outfielders. So far, Piscotty has been the one they can count on and Randal Grichuk has been the one they often have had to worry about.

Piscotty has been at his best in the biggest spots, batting .468 with runners in scoring position, a number that includes his two-run double in the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ 4-0 win over the Phillies on Thursday. Piscotty is hitting .301 overall. Batting in the No. 2 hole, he leads the team with 20 RBIs. Rarely does he look like a player getting his first crack at …

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