Matt Carpenter pulled off a rare surprise move against an extreme shift and turned it into a double. Elieser Hernandez had been pitching a solid game, with Carpenter already getting him earlier for a solo homer. It’s the bottom of the fifth, two outs, and Carpenter steps in again. Facing a loaded outfield and nobody guarding the left side, Carpenter drops a bunt down that line. The bunt stays fair, and with no infielder anywhere near that side, Hernandez is late breaking off the mound. By the time he jogs over and picks up the ball, Carpenter is standing on second base with a rare bunt double.
The broadcast shows just how deep the defense was playing him, with five defenders in the outfield and nothing resembling coverage on the left. Carpenter saw it, adjusted his approach, and made the most of a wide-open half of the field. The St. Louis crowd loved it. They were loud and fired up, especially coming off recent celebrations for the Blues. Carpenter’s heads-up bunt wasn’t flashy, but completely broke the defense’s plan and turned a dead spot in the field into an easy extra-base hit.