ST. LOUIS — Eddie Rosario is pretty sure the leaping catch he made of Adam Engel's deep fly ball last Thursday in Chicago probably would have bounced off the wall if he hadn't caught it. But this one on Monday, the Dexter Fowler blast that appeared headed to the Twins' bullpen?
"It's going to be a homer. I think I robbed a homer," Rosario said proudly. "My first one."
Rosario said he had no idea whether he was could reach it as he raced to the fence. "I threw the glove up there," was how he described his technique. "I could feel it when I catch it."
The catch kept Fernando Romero perfect, and he remained unscored-upon in two major league starts by putting up six shutout innings in Busch Stadium. Rosario said he was proud to have made the great play, because if he hadn't, the game may have turned out completely different.
"Everything changes," he said. "[If] I don't rob this homer, the game is 2-2. The first inning changes the whole game."
Instead, according to MLB's Stat of the Day, Romero is only the seventh rookie in major-league history to throw at least five shutout innings and strike out five or more batters in his first two career starts. The previous six — Kyle Davies, Kazuhisa Ishii, Carlos Hernandez, Tom Phoebus, Karl Spooner and Al Worthington — aren't particularly household names, but it's still quite an accomplishment.
Speaking of accomplishments, Rosario is excelling at more than robbing home runs. He had two doubles and an RBI on Monday, giving him at least one extra-base hit in all five games so far on this 10-game trip. There's no secret to it, he said, except for focusing on having a good approach.
"I want to try to have good at-bat every day," he said. "When I try the same approach every time. Swing at strikes. Try to have good game every game."
