JUPITER, Fla. – The final day of spring training was a good one for Steven Matz.
Projected to be the third starter for the Cardinals this season, Matz closed out the spring on Tuesday with 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Marlins.
Matz allowed only two hits, walked one and struck out five in the Cardinals’ 7-0 win.
Other news and notes from Tuesday:
High: Nolan Arenado was 2-of-2 and drove in a run, finishing the spring with a .333 average.
Low: Tommy Edman had a hit, just his second of the spring, and ended the spring with a .083 average (2-of-24).
At the plate: The Cardinals got two at-bats for all of their regulars, then turned the game over to minor leaguers … Yadier Molina also was 2-of-2 … Paul Goldschmidt had a sacrifice fly and finished the spring with a .500 average … St. Louis native Wade Stauss caught the final two innings and contributed an RBI triple.
On the mound: Matz threw 74 pitches … Giovanny Gallegos got the final out in the seventh before Jake Woodford worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Off the field: The Cardinals had planned to have Woodford, Drew VerHagen and Dakota Hudson stay in Florida and face minor-league hitters on Wednesday before joining the team in St. Louis, but instead had all three pitchers accompany them back on Tuesday. The team has not made an announcement on who will be the fifth starter, whose spot will come up for the first time on April 12.
Looking ahead: After flying to St. Louis following the game, the Cardinals will have a workout on Wednesday at Busch Stadium in advance of Thursday’s 3:15 p.m. season-opener against the Pirates.
