JUPITER, Fla. – The Cardinals actually won twice on Friday, even though only one of the wins will show up on the spring training scoreboard.
The first victory came in the morning, when they decided to play most of the regulars, and the pitchers scheduled to work in the game against the Mets, in an intrasquad game because of rain in the forecast.
That allowed Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina to get multiple at-bats, while Dakota Hudson worked five innings, allowing three runs, and Jake Woodford tossed three scoreless innings.
The strategy was a success when rain did fall in the afternoon, prompting a nearly one-hour delay, before the game resumed and the Cardinals earned a 7-2 victory.
Other news and notes from Friday:
High: Cory Spangenberg, trying to play his way onto the roster after joining the team late, had three hits in four at-bats, including a double.
Low: The fans who paid major-league prices to see a Cardinals lineup that included only one player, Spangenberg, who has played in the majors.
At the plate: Luken Baker hit a home run among his two hits … Kramer Robertson had two hits and drove in two runs while Brendan Donovan also had two hits.
On the mound: Aaron Brooks, fighting for a spot in the bullpen, allowed one run over two innings, striking out two … Nick Wittgren, another late signing after camp opened, worked a scoreless inning … Connor Thomas got the start and retired all six hitters he faced.
Off the field: The Cardinals reduced their spring roster to 34 players by optioning pitcher Matthew Liberatore to Memphis and reassigning pitcher Blake Parker to the Triple A club. Liberatore walked three in two scoreless innings in relief on Friday and had a spring ERA of 4.26 … The Redbirds are set to leave Florida on Saturday in advance of their season opener on Tuesday. With the major-league team set to play in Florida until Tuesday, it’s likely Memphis will play with a shortened roster for the first game before the rest of the roster cuts are made from the major-league team.
Looking ahead: Adam Wainwright will get his final tuneup before opening day on Saturday night as the Cardinals play the Astros in West Palm Beach.
