
Double Jay Double You
From Talking About Birds: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast by Nate Heininger & Ben Simorka
April 30, 2026 · 1h 33m · Episode 218
About this episode
The episode discusses Nathan Church's recent performance, Iván Herrera's breakout, and Jordan Walker's adjustments, along with various league updates and team dynamics.
Nathan Church hit three home runs this week and robbed another one. But the real story isn't the results — it's the underlying changes. His bat speed is up, his swing rate has jumped, and he's striking out less while swinging harder. We dig into why those numbers matter and what this version of Nathan Church means for the team long term. Iván Herrera is breaking out. The launch angle has corrected, the walks are piling up, and Ben is ready to start the extension conversation. Jordan Walker has cooled off but the process is still there — and Ben found something fascinating in the pitch data. The pitch that tortured Walker for three years is now his best pitch. But the league is adjusting with a new one, and Walker will need to adjust back. Plus: Ryan Fernandez is looking like a trade chip, the bullpen leverage ladder needs reshuffling, JJ Wetherholt continues to rake, the annual fishing tournament preview, and Ben sat behind A-Rod at a Nuggets playoff game. On the league side: the Red Sox fired Alex Cora and basically their entire coaching staff, the Phillies fired Rob Thomson, the Padres are selling for $3.5 billion, and Travis Bazzana got called up to Cleveland. Have a question…
People in this episode
Hosts: Nate Heininger, Ben Simorka
Topics covered
- Nathan Church performance
- Iván Herrera breakout
- Jordan Walker adjustments
- trade chips
- coaching changes
- league updates
Keywords
- Nathan Church
- Iván Herrera
- Jordan Walker
- trade chip
- Red Sox
- Phillies
- Padres
- Travis Bazzana
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Red Sox, Phillies, Padres
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